As Trump cancels Columbia River deal, promises to Indigenous American tribes are still being broken

It is a common phrase in treaties between the U.S. government and Indigenous American tribes: “Each tribe or band shall have the right to possess, occupy and use the reserve allotted to it, as long as the grass shall grow and the waters run, and the reserves shall be their own property like their horses and cattle.”

But as Angie Debo pointed out in her 1940 book “And Still the Waters Run,” grass still grows, waters still run and all the treaties have been broken by the federal government for mining, grazing, land for settlers and other reasons. Tribes are protected people under federal law even though they are sovereign nations within the United States.

Trump breaks historic Columbia River deal between U.S. government, tribes, Northwest states

Now, the Trump administration continues that federal tradition by breaking yet another treaty, this one between the feds, four Indigenous tribes and the states of Washington and Oregon. The 2023 agreement to restore fish runs is being revoked so corporations can generate electricity in the Columbia Basin. Prior to the agreement, salmon, steelhead and other native fish were being killed by hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River.

For the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs of Oregon this is not a minor inconvenience. Fishing – especially salmon – is a sacred right, a duty for the tribe to protect the fish which feeds the people. Removing the fish protections from the damns erases a major part of the tribe’s identity and culture.

A major issue for the tribes is because of the dams, the salmon are disappearing at an alarming rate. Shannon Wheeler, Nez Perce tribal chairman, told the Oregon Capital Chronicle to eliminate the treaty is to deny the truth of what is happening.

“This action tries to hide from the truth,” Wheeler said. “The Nez Perce Tribe holds a duty to speak the truth for the salmon, and the truth is that the extinction of salmon population is happening now.”

Because Congress has the final say about dams, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, in January introduced legislation protecting the Lower Snake River Dams, an action which erases the treaty with the tribes. Risch applauded Trump’s move, calling it “common sense.”

What would be more common sense is encouragement of other forms of electrical generation. Sources such as wind power, solar and geothermal are now being discouraged by the “big, beautiful bill” now in the Senate. There are alternatives out there, electricity could be generated using other renewable resources beyond hydropower.

By using these other resources, the U.S. could help tribes protect their cultures while still generating power for all citizens.

For anyone who would say the tribes no longer matter, think of it this way: How would it feel to have someone erase the Fourth of July saying it is no longer important? That it no longer matters for Americans to celebrate their independence from King George III? It represents something that happened 250 years ago, so why should anyone care?

To tribal members, their cultures are not just a symbol, it is their way of life, the essence of their soul. It is their belief systems, their history and how they see and interact in the world. Erasing part of that does more than simply reduce the salmon population, it destroys the center of tribal culture.

The U.S. needs to honor their treaties – promises – to people they are legally required under federal law to protect. Congress should insist on keeping the treaty. Otherwise, why should the government be trusted to keep their word?