First Fish, First People: Salmon Tales of the North Pacific Rim

by Judith Roche (Editor), Meg McHutchison

The arc of land and water forming the North Pacific Rim is a cut lace work of rivers running to the great ocean. The salmon, sacred to people who lived along the pathways of its journey, once engorged these rivers, but no more. Thirteen writers from cultures profoundly connected to salmon were asked to write about "the fish of the gods" from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. These writers from two continents and four countries are Ainu from Japan; Nyvkh from Sakhalin; Ulchi from Siberia; Okanagan and Coastal Salish from Canada; and Makah, Warm Springs and Spokane from the United States. Their writing celebrates the blessedness and mourns the loss of the salmon while alerting us to current dangers and conditions.

Genres: Anthropology, History, Nonfiction, Native American

199 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[SamTheOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot express how moving and mind altering this book is. I am touched both in mind and heart.

[Trux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope to get my hands on this book again - got to thumb through it and read/look at the Sandra Osawa chapter while spending a couple of nights in a vacation rental.

Should be required reading for everybody around here who doesn't have the info or hasn't gotten it elsewhere.

I really appreciate beautifully designed books with art, photos, stories, bios, and knowledge from an array of contributors.