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Documentary on canoe journey to Kettle Falls coming to Garland Theater

Dan Nanamkin, center, in the war bonnet, and members of the Colville Confederated Tribe arrive on shores of the Columbia River, June 17, 2016, as five Inland Northwest tribes finish their journey to Kettle Falls in dugout canoes to call attention to their efforts to restore salmon runs above Grand Coulee Dam. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
By Becky Kramer beckyk@spokesman.com(509) 459-5466

A documentary on the Upper Columbia tribes’ 2016 canoe journey to Kettle Falls will be shown Thursday at the Garland Theater.

The 45-minute film, “United by Water,” follows the Colville, Spokane, Kalispel, Kootenai and Coeur d’Alene tribes as their members carve cedar canoes and paddle them to Kettle Falls, a historic salmon fishery on the Columbia River.

“The canoes came from each tribe’s own home waters,” said D.R. Michel, the Upper Columbia United Tribes executive director. “It took a week to paddle there.”

The event is free and open to the public. Introductory comments start at 6:45 p.m., with the film beginning at 7 p.m. A discussion with canoe paddlers, the filmmaker and the Upper Columbia United Tribes will follow the documentary. The Garland Theater is at 924 W. Garland Ave.

Author Sherman Alexie narrates part of the film, which was commissioned by the Upper Columbia United Tribes and produced by Derrick LaMere. Footage from the 1940 “Ceremony of Tears” is part of the documentary.

Before Grand Coulee was built without fish ladders, Kettle Falls was one of North America’s premier salmon fishing spots. As the reservoir behind the dam filled, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation gathered for a three-day ceremony, eulogizing the loss of the falls and the salmon.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture had historic footage from the ceremony. Watching it was “breathtaking and heart-breaking,” said John Sirois, the Upper Columbia United Tribes’ committee coordinator.

But the canoe documentary also shows “the spirit of resiliency of people attempting to practice their culture,” Sirois said.

The Upper Columbia United Tribes hopes the film will call attention to efforts to restore salmon above Grand Coulee Dam, said Michel, the executive director. New technology is making fish passage possible at tall dams, he said

“It doesn’t have to be either-or,” Michel said. “We can have salmon in the upper Columbia and still provide for flood risk management and affordable power rates.”