“Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part.”
“Indigeneity is a much contested term, complicated by formal definitions under domestic and international law (...). This generates a gap between legal definitions of indigeneity (framed, then and now, by hegemonic powers) and sociocultural practices of indigeneity (expressed and experienced, then as now, by cultures themselves).”
For over 10,000 years, Celilo Falls, located near The Dalles, Oregon, was an important center for trade, fishing, and spiritual practice. Indigenous groups from the Columbia River Plateau and beyond gathered there to fish the annual salmon runs. In 1957, the construction of The Dalles Dam inundated the falls and the fishing site was destroyed.
The Confluence Project planned an installation at Celilo that was never built. The plan consisted of a walkway designed by Maya Lin that would extend over the river looking toward the location of the inundated falls, as well as an accompanying “interpretive pavilion” to be designed by a candidate selected through a submission process. During the design stage, the Confluence team solicited approval from each of the Treaty Tribes for additions to the site. Although approval was initially granted by all parties, the Yakama Nation eventually rescinded their support, and work on the site was halted
Celilo is an unfinished stage of the Confluence Project, but more importantly, it is a living site for Indigenous tribes who continue to fish, conduct ceremonial activities and live at this sacred location. Archival documents included in this section present some of the conflicting voices raised in support of, and in opposition to, the installation. Lin and her collaborators recognized from the outset that Celilo Falls would be one of the most challenging locations to complete. Nevertheless, Confluence Project Director, Colin Fogarty, views the site’s unbuilt status not as a failure, but as a moment “to reflect and listen respectfully. Our guiding principles for moving forward are to listen first to our tribal partners and respect all voices along the Columbia River.”
