ABSTRACT
Nez Perce interactions in the Snake and Columbia River drainages are a matrix of water, salmon, labor, ceremony and place. This chapter examines how humans have shaped the natural history of this region and how, in turn, nature shapes human relationships. Rivers in this context are "organic machines", an energy system that is at once an abstract idea and a concrete form, like migrating salmon, the flow of the river, and large dams. The chapter emphasizes Nez Perce culture, salmon, and nation building because each are situated in and interact according to their various biological, social, and political contexts. Nez Perce have fished for salmon for at least five thousand years, and salmon deliver power and energy that has improved the everyday lives and well-being of this indigenous people. The chapter considers how climate change challenges Nez Perce cultural and ecological sustainability, and explores ongoing tribal efforts to build an autonomous salmon nation in the twenty-first century.
