Catalyst For Cda Basin Cleanup Dies Henry Sijohn Led Tribe’S Environmental Fight

Henry SiJohn, who led the Coeur d’Alene Indians’ campaign to clean up mining pollution in their homeland, was found dead Tuesday at his home.

He was 81. SiJohn had been showing signs of age but was not known to be ill, said tribal press secretary Bob Bostwick. Other tribal council members became concerned when he did not show up at a meeting they were attending in Portland.

“Henry was such a powerful leader and a voice of commitment to environmental issues,” said Bostwick. “I think he died knowing that something better is going to happen to this basin, that the region is going to be a better place because he lived in it and did something about its problems.”

SiJohn, who lived in Plummer, was the second Coeur d’Alene tribal leader to die in recent months. After Lawrence Aripa died in October, SiJohn took his place as vice chairman of the tribal council. SiJohn had served on the council almost continuously since 1982.

SiJohn held a master’s degree in music from Gonzaga University and taught for 27 years off the Coeur d’Alene reservation. He once served as director of the Eastern Washington State College Indian studies program, starting in 1971.

It was after his 1980 retirement, and his return to the reservation in Idaho, that he began advocating environmental cleanup.

The tribe won a seat at the table in federal and state discussions of metals pollution that stemmed from a century of mining in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin.

Under his leadership, the Coeur d’Alenes’ natural resources staff grew until their department became the largest in tribal government. The council directed attorneys to fight major legal battles, such as recognition that the tribe legally owned Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Arguing in 1991 that the tribe wouldn’t try to reap profits from ownership of the lake, SiJohn said: “The only way pollution is going to be stopped is by the intercession of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.”

A federal judge later determined that the tribe owns the lower third of the lake, which falls within reservation boundaries.

SiJohn didn’t mince words. As Bostwick once said: “He’s not shy about giving us the verbal equivalent of a cattle prod.”

He accused the mining industry of racism for failing to deal with the lead, zinc and other toxic metals. He told the Environmental Protection Agency that its plan to clean up the Bunker Hill Superfund site wouldn’t stop metals from leaking into the river.

SiJohn spoke about the importance of cleanup in a 1994 documentary called “Paradise in Peril.” Bostwick, the producer, said SiJohn considered the video to be his legacy.

SiJohn insisted that the tribe’s annual meeting place at the Old Mission at Cataldo be thoroughly cleaned of metals deposited by the Coeur d’Alene River.

His grandfather is buried at the mission, which was built by Jesuit missionaries who converted the tribe to Catholicism. At a recent celebration there, he recalled that the priests had given his family the name “St. John,” which became SiJohn.

Henry SiJohn was born Aug. 6, 1917. He and his former wife Dorothea SiJohn had two children: Cindy SiJohn of Spokane, and the late Sandy SiJohn.

BACKGROUND In his own words Henry “Hank” SiJohn was known for his passion and outspoken nature. These comments over the past decade showed that he never lost his stride.

On blaming racism for the lack of cooperation in Coeur d’Alene Basin cleanup efforts: “Prejudice and bias are still alive and well in Idaho, and I think that’s unfortunate.” - August 1994

On what to do with smelter smokestacks in Kellogg: “I think they should commemorate those stacks to the EPA and DEQ (the state Division of Environmental Quality) to show what can’t be done.” - August 1995

On being the last tribal leader willing to sign a cooperative agreement between the tribe and North Idaho College: “The accuracy was the issue for me. I wanted to make sure everything was involved and included. It’s a pleasure to sign the document.” - June 1998

Lamenting the contamination of fish on the Coeur d’Alene River: “Fish and wildlife were given to mankind by the Creator for his survival. What happens to the animals soon happens to man.” - Summer 1998