Ceremony

September 6, 2007

Calling Back the Salmon Ceremony
Saturday, October 6, 2007

We would like to inform you of an exciting opportunity to lend your support to our local Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. Before being decimated and displaced by the Gold Rush, the Maidu conducted a ceremony to celebrate and give thanks for the return of the salmon to their ancestral waters each fall. Now, after an absence of 158 years, the Tribe's “first salmon” ceremony will once again be seen on the banks of the South Fork of the Yuba River. The ceremony will constitute a significant milestone in the Tribe's ongoing efforts to restore its culture and preserve its identity. And, just as importantly, it will bring the Indian and non-Indian communities together to begin healing the wounds that we all bear that are the legacy of the Gold Rush.

You are invited to join the Tribe on Saturday, October 6, for this historic event. The day will begin with a sunrise ceremony at approximately 7:00AM on the south bank of the Yuba River just below the Highway 20 bridge. Immediately afterwards, a member of the tribe will set out to spear a salmon at a downstream location, from where the salmon will be brought back to the site of the sunrise ceremony, if all goes well, by 8:30AM. At that point, the salmon will be relayed by selected runners to the Corps of Engineers boat launching ramp at Englebright Reservoir, arriving at approximately 10:00AM. From there, the salmon will be carried by boat to the mouth of the South Yuba River, and from there by foot to Bridgeport State Park, where the salmon ceremony will be held, beginning at about noon.

You can support the Maidu by being present at both the sunrise ceremony at the river and the salmon ceremony at the park. Also, you can run in the salmon relay, either as a carrier of the salmon, or in support of the salmon carriers. Or, if you have a boat, you can accompany the boat across Englebright Reservoir. Those carrying the salmon will do so under special conditions set by the tribe. The total run distance is approximately 7.5 miles. If you are interested in being a runner, please contact the South Yuba River Citizen's League (SYRCL) at 530-265-5961 for signup information.

Following the ceremony at Bridgeport State Park, there will be speakers, drumming and dancing. Salmon will be grilled and provided to attendees while supplies last. You are encouraged to bring your own food and beverage as well. However, please be respectful of the fact that this is a DRUG AND ALCOHOL-FREE EVENT.

You will have an opportunity at the park to learn about the Indigenous People's Day events taking place that weekend and of the Maidu memorial sculpture and park being planned for our area.

The following organizations are supporting this event: SYRCL, the Sierra Fund, Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute, Yuba Watershed Institute, and California State Parks.

For more information about the event, you may contact SYRCL by phone at 530-265-5961 or visit their Website at www.yubariver.org.