Connections: the Duwamish and traditional food

In reading Dan Klempner's thesis about the history of the Duwamish tribe, I see several connections to what several others in this course are studying. The overall focus of his thesis is the history of how the Duwamish tribe was marginalized by the numerous efforts of settlers to reconstruct what we now know as "Seattle". His thesis also looks at the current efforts by the EPA to conduct a superfund cleanup of the Duwamish river waterway and asks if this cleanup can be conducted without further marginalizing the Duwamish tribe.

Dan writes about the struggles of the Duwamish tribe to regain and/or hold onto their cultural identity over the past decades. As the Duwamish have been pushed out of their traditional lands in this area they have often focused on enforcement of their fishing rights as stated in major treaties such as the Elliott Point one. James Rasmussen, co-chair of the Duwamish tribe told him that this narrow focus on fishing rights as part of their cultural identity leaves them vulnerable on many levels. One example is around the whole debate about what fish are safe to catch and eat from the Duwamish river. The tribe is constantly told that they shouldn't really catch and consume a lot of fish from the river due to the high levels of toxins including PCBs in the fish. Yet fish is so central to the traditional diets of the Duwamish. So as I read his comments I'm thinking of Jonathan's examination of traditional diets of several cultural groups in San Diego, and Jo's examination of salmon habitat restoration too.

I also really appreciate Dan's questioning about whether the ongoing superfund cleanup can be conducted without further marginalizing the Duwamish. This question could also be applied to other groups of people who use the Duwamish river and are marginalized groups. He interviewed several homeless people who live along the Duwamish river and they told him that they would like to have restrooms and facilities where they can shower and do laundry. Previous restrooms were taken away with the justification that having them just means that homeless folks would trash them and conduct illegal activities in them. From the perspective of the homeless people whom Dan talked to, having such facilities helps them maintain their own dignity. Plus, from my own experience of working with homeless families I know that having such facilities makes it more possible for people to maintain themselves and live - whether that's going to work, school, job training or whatever else people can do to get back on their feet.

Joyce