Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
ABSTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESIS
By Lisa Hunt
Devastation and Displacement: The Destruction of Native Communities as a Result of Specifically the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota and the Dalles Dams on the Columbia River in Oregon
The building of the Dalles Dam along the Columbia river, separating Oregon and Washington, inflicted severe losses over sovereignty rights for the surrounding Native communities. Long-lasting negative effects have occurred towards their means of support and led to the declining quality of life. The drowning of Celilo Falls by the building of the Dalles dam is a heartbreaking tale of loss of culture, land, economic resources, and a sacred way of life for Native people. They had depended on the generous number of salmon provided from this area along the Columbia River for thousands of years. That day in March of 1957, six hours after the floodgates of the dam at the Dalles were opened, the place, the lifeblood, the economic livelihood, and religious significance for generations of people lost in an instant. The struggle to uphold the treaty of 1855, signed by the Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakama, and Nez Perce tribes signed, the protest process leading up to the building of these dams, and the attempt to preserve livelihood is a traumatic tale with dramatic results. After the drowning of Celilo Falls, resources for the Native people who were dependent on its bounty would become inadequate, and assistance that was promised either never came or took many, many years to acquire.
The creation of the Garrison Dam that flooded the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people, caused irreparable destruction, flooding 221,000 acres, and harmfully affected them at that time, not to mention the devastation that has occurred since their displacement. Their reservation land had been previously protected under the Treaty of Horse Creek in 1851 Garrison Dam ultimately buried 9 reservation communities into what is now known as Lake Sakakawea. The land that was flooded provided all of their necessities. They farmed the rich bottomlands, hunted game, and gathered food that grew wild in the hills and along the river. After the relocation, The Three Affiliated Tribes were finding it impossible to grow their own food, wild game had vanished, the wells were contaminated to drink nor enough water to grow crops that had flourished before the building of the dam.
My thesis will focus on the bounty of sustenance that had existed for these communities for thousands of years before these dams were built. It will also discuss the violations of the treaties and sovereignty rights. This thesis will provide details leading up to the building of the dams that desecrated their lifestyle, culture, health, and well-being. It is a comparison of negative effects of these two dams towards the Native People, as well as a contrast in the uniqueness of their cultural heritage, and the uniqueness within these communities and the various tribal communities impacted.
Mentor Name
G.G. Weix
Personal Statement
Farryl “Lisa” Hunt 406-207-3330 farryl.hunt@umconnect.umt.edu 01/18/2021 PERSONAL STATEMENT My name is Lisa Hunt and I suspect you will find very few candidates with a background such as mine. I am a strong-willed Native American woman. I am a descendent of the Blackfeet Nation, not enrolled, nor do I know my blood relatives, because my father was adopted by a family in Oregon, in 1949. I have been raised on many reservations, as my father was a consultant for various Native tribes, so we moved around a lot for each of his projects and jobs. The reservations I have resided on include the Paiute Reservation in Burns, OR; the Redding Rancheria in Redding, CA; the Umatilla Reservation near Mission/Pendleton, OR; and the Kootenai Reservation in Bonner’s Ferry, ID; the Fort Belknap Reservation near Harlem, MT. I am proud of my roots as a Native woman, and have always strived to make my ancestors proud, though it is the Creator who knows who they are. Fighting for Native issues, social justice, and battling against racial injustices has been in my heart and soul my whole life. While an undergraduate student at the University of Montana, majoring in Native American Studies, I was an ASUM senator for a year, who represented all the Native student organizations during my time as a senator. I was also Chair of the ASUM Diversity Committee, and the Chair of the University Affairs Committee. I was co-president of AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) and helped fundraise successfully so all 18 members of our club could travel to Minneapolis, MN for the National AISES Conference in 2000. I was a Native American Peer Mentor, and member of the Kyi-Yo Indian Club for three years. In addition, I was a Facilitator to NCBI for the National Coalition Building Institute Prejudice Reduction Workshops for two years, attending many trainings, including one in Washington D.C. Currently, I am a single mother of three wonderful children, and I want to be an inspiration to them. I am also a survivor of domestic abuse. However, I have used my experience to help others. Currently, I volunteer for a domestic abuse support group at the YWCA, as well as for a domestic abuse and suicide prevention hotline. I have published contributions of my survivor stories in a book of a collection of memoirs titled “We Leave the Flowers Where They Are.” A group of us very brave women toured across the state of Montana in 2019, reading our stories, hoping to provide hope to those who may have experienced similar situations. I have a high degree of integrity that garners the trust and respect of others. The valuable skills I have received, alongside the experience I have gained throughout my education and employment, are beyond measure, and I take my responsibilities seriously. Thank you for considering me.
Damming Celilo Falls: Mourning a Miracle
ABSTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESIS
By Lisa Hunt
Devastation and Displacement: The Destruction of Native Communities as a Result of Specifically the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota and the Dalles Dams on the Columbia River in Oregon
The building of the Dalles Dam along the Columbia river, separating Oregon and Washington, inflicted severe losses over sovereignty rights for the surrounding Native communities. Long-lasting negative effects have occurred towards their means of support and led to the declining quality of life. The drowning of Celilo Falls by the building of the Dalles dam is a heartbreaking tale of loss of culture, land, economic resources, and a sacred way of life for Native people. They had depended on the generous number of salmon provided from this area along the Columbia River for thousands of years. That day in March of 1957, six hours after the floodgates of the dam at the Dalles were opened, the place, the lifeblood, the economic livelihood, and religious significance for generations of people lost in an instant. The struggle to uphold the treaty of 1855, signed by the Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakama, and Nez Perce tribes signed, the protest process leading up to the building of these dams, and the attempt to preserve livelihood is a traumatic tale with dramatic results. After the drowning of Celilo Falls, resources for the Native people who were dependent on its bounty would become inadequate, and assistance that was promised either never came or took many, many years to acquire.
The creation of the Garrison Dam that flooded the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people, caused irreparable destruction, flooding 221,000 acres, and harmfully affected them at that time, not to mention the devastation that has occurred since their displacement. Their reservation land had been previously protected under the Treaty of Horse Creek in 1851 Garrison Dam ultimately buried 9 reservation communities into what is now known as Lake Sakakawea. The land that was flooded provided all of their necessities. They farmed the rich bottomlands, hunted game, and gathered food that grew wild in the hills and along the river. After the relocation, The Three Affiliated Tribes were finding it impossible to grow their own food, wild game had vanished, the wells were contaminated to drink nor enough water to grow crops that had flourished before the building of the dam.
My thesis will focus on the bounty of sustenance that had existed for these communities for thousands of years before these dams were built. It will also discuss the violations of the treaties and sovereignty rights. This thesis will provide details leading up to the building of the dams that desecrated their lifestyle, culture, health, and well-being. It is a comparison of negative effects of these two dams towards the Native People, as well as a contrast in the uniqueness of their cultural heritage, and the uniqueness within these communities and the various tribal communities impacted.