First Voices Radio

Host Tiokasin Ghosthorse spends the hour with Steven Solomon, Sr., a lifelong Lummi fisherman and traditional knowledge holder of the reef net practice. “Reef net fishing is an ancient, sustainable salmon-harvesting technique created and perfected by the Lummi and other Coast Salish Indigenous people over a millennium. Rather than chasing the fish, this technique uses ropes to create an artificial reef that channels fish toward a net stretched between two anchored boats. Fishers observe the water and pull in the net at the right moment, intercepting salmon as they migrate from the Pacific Ocean to the Fraser River near present-day Washington state and British Columbia. Colonialism, government policies, habitat destruction, and declining salmon populations have separated tribes from this tradition. Today, only 12 reef net permits exist, with just one belonging to the Lummi Nation. Many tribal members hope to revive reef net fishing to restore their cultural identity and a sustainable salmon harvest but face difficulties balancing economic realities with preserving what the Lummi consider a sacred heritage.” — Liz Kimbrough, author, “Last of the reef netters: An Indigenous, sustainable salmon fishery,” Mongabay, Nov. 21, 2023: https://bit.ly/3IlGIk9

Production Credits:
Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Lakota), Host and Executive Producer
Liz Hill (Red Lake Ojibwe), Producer
Karen Ramirez (Mayan), Studio Engineer, Radio Kingston
Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Audio Editor
Kevin Richardson, Podcast Editor

Music Selections:
1. Song Title: Tahi Roots Mix (First Voices Radio Theme Song)
Artist: Moana and the Moa Hunters
Album: Tahi (1993)
Label: Southside Records (Australia and New Zealand)

2. Song Title: Freedom Now (feat. Golshifteh Farahani & Arooj Aftab)
Artist: Nick Mulvey
Album: Freedom Now (released Feb. 13, 2024)
Producers: The Parisi Brothers (Ed Sheeran, Fred Again).

3. Song Title: Ambrosia
Artist: A Reminiscent Drive
Album: Ambrosia (2000)
Label: F Communications

4. Song Title: War / No More Trouble (Live at The Pavillon De Paris - 1977)
Artist: Bob Marley and the Wailers
Album: Gold (2005)
Label: Island Records

AKANTU INTELLIGENCE
Visit Akantu Intelligence, an institute that Tiokasin founded with a mission of contextualizing original wisdom for troubled times. Go to https://akantuintelligence.org to find out more and consider joining his Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/Ghosthorse