The River in Our Bones:
THE STORY OF THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER PALOUSE
BY IONE JONES
My name is ILL-LAH-WAH-LITZ-TUN-MYE, which translates to “Lady who does tasks quickly.” I am an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation and a lineal descendant of the WOW-YICK-MA NAH-KHEE-UM NU-SHWA, the People from Lower Snake River Palouse. Our villages were vast and wide along the rivers known as Wawáwi, Alamótin, Palús, Wawyuk’má, and Samyúya. Horses ran freely from both sides of the Snake River northward and across the Horse Heaven Hills to Wáwnashee (Priest Rapids).
As the executive director and president of KHIMSTONIK, a nonprofit organization named after my kuthla (my grandmother Mary Jim Chapman), I am deeply committed to understanding and addressing the ongoing disparities arising from centuries of cultural appropriation and land thefts.
Colonialism has left an indelible mark on all Indigenous communities, including my own family. Generations of trauma stemming from displacement, dispossession, and systemic marginalization have shaped our collective history. As I reflect on what it means to be of the WOW-YICK-MA NAH-KHEE-UM NU-SHWA, I am compelled to share some of our stories about how colonialism has impacted my family and articulate what Indigenous sovereignty means to me.
The Palouse People, a distinct band of Sahaptin-speaking people, have long inhabited the confluence of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Our family’s land claims differ to others in the area due to our relatives CHO-WAWA-TYET (Indian Jim), XHAL-UCH WACH-OM-KYE (Wolf Necklace),
“Our photos sit on book covers, and our testimony serve politicians, but our true experience is still made invisible.”
AL-LI-LUYA (Thomas Jim), and XUMTU-ST’-AKI (Harry Jim), all of whom received land patents under the Homestead Act of 1862. However, in 1959 the U.S. Army Corps instituted eminent domain, forcing our family off our ancestral lands and flooding our cemeteries to build the Lower Snake River Dams, a loss that severed cultural and spiritual ties to the land and that echoes through subsequent generations.
My family has continued to maintain a deep relationship to this land. We have also been historically willing to help those who are interested in our knowledge and the essential information we have about the land and our history. We have collaborated with people for centuries, but the result has not been visibility and empowerment. Instead, over and over our history and expertise has been buried in citations and footnotes for research and development by educational and governmental representatives. Our photos sit on book covers, and our testimony serve politicians, but our true experience is still made invisible. That’s how best to describe the existence of our people, who have survived and persisted despite the continuing adversity and fundamental injuries we have suffered through colonialism.
Nevertheless, our people’s story is one of resistance and renewal. In 2023, KHIMSTONIK hosted its inaugural healing canoe journey along the Lower Snake River, reconnecting descendants and others in the community with the cultural and environmental heritage of the Lower Snake River Palouse.
This journey, centered around canoes, planting medicines and foods, and fostering connections with the Snake River, is a vital component of reclaiming Indigenous sovereignty. We pass down songs, language, and roles to younger generations, ensuring the preservation of Indigenous knowledge and traditions.
Photo © Gloria Pancrazi
Moreover, it empowers communities to address challenges collectively, fostering solidarity among Indigenous and nonIndigenous allies striving for Indigenous sovereignty.
In 2024, we organized planting activities, plant walks, and shared cultural and traditional knowledge during our journey from Perry to Paige, Washington, in collaboration with nonIndigenous allies and neighboring sovereign tribal communities, including the Caretakers of the Lands from the Wallulla village, Kalispel Canoe Family, the Spokane Canoe Family, Puyallup Tribal Canoe Family, and members of the Wanapum Village.
All this work is to reclaim our stories and way of life. Our objective is to use our deep knowledge to support resilience in our environment, health, and cultural efforts. Strengthening our ties with tribes along the rivers and basins is integral to our decolonization mission, undoing the damage caused by invasive species left behind by those who sought to disrupt human and ecological relations. By planting seeds that stabilize riverbanks and eventually nourish salmon populations struggling upstream, we contribute to the restoration of both land and culture. Our unique position allows us to facilitate a deeper understanding of original cultures, lands, waters, and communities, fostering a commitment to tribal individuals living outside reservation boundaries through land restoration initiatives. We unwind the tactics and false narratives that the U.S. government has used to fracture our experience and our relationships to each other and the land.
In addition to the canoe journeys, we are also currently collaborating with the descendants of the Original Peoples from surrounding tribal communities in southeast Washington. We advocate for tribal members residing outside federally recognized reservations, whose sovereign territories are just
beyond these boundaries. Our aim is to offer educational opportunities to the wider community, especially to underserved tribal villages and individuals who have transitioned away from reservation life (either by force or choice).
Our collaboration extends to dedicated non-Indigenous community members and organizations to deepen our work within the state and federal government, ensuring the vital input of the Original People is acknowledged. Our vision extends beyond our current efforts; we aim to broaden our impact nationwide, focusing on regions that are Indigenous homelands but have since been overrun by forced development, lacking the crucial input of the Original Peoples.
Indigenous sovereignty is more than a legal or political concept; it is a way of life rooted in Indigenous knowledge, values, and relationships with the land. It honors the interconnectedness of all living beings and recognizes our responsibilities as stewards of the Earth. Our story underscores the ongoing struggle for Indigenous sovereignty, as we confront the challenges of the present and strive towards a more just and equitable future. Through our commitment to protecting our lands and ways of life, we offer a powerful example to others hoping to reclaim their rightful place as stewards of the land. As we stand in solidarity for collective liberation, let us draw strength from the stories of the land and work towards a future built on respect for all.
Ione Jones is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation and lineal descendant of WOW-YICK-MA NAH-KHEE-UM NU-SHWA, the Fishhook Bend Snake River Renegade Palouse. She is an accountant and real estate broker (inactive) with years of experience in working for tribal governments.
Above: 1842 Oregon Territory map by U.S. Ex. Charles Wilkes illustrates how populated the region was before Europeans and Americans came up the Columbia River. Page 6: Planting native plants. Right: Ione Jones