Content Warning: Discussion of colonization of indigenous peoples, genocide, war, exile, and racism.
In this episode, I tell the myth: "Coyote and Salmon", created by the Klamath people. The story has no referenced origin, but is accumulated from a number of different accounts. The myth is quite short and centered on the interaction between the trickster character, Coyote, and the "Skookums" damming the river, stopping the flow of salmon. The tale is directly connected with the historical reality of ecological oppression on and around the Klamath lands and later reservation. The Klamath Tribe of the modern American state of Oregon is composed of three smaller tribes: Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin. We'll explore how the relationship between the Klamath and the Modoc was exacerbated by American imperialism, settler colonialism, and the politics of rebellion. The Klamath number an estimated 6,000 people today.
We'll discuss the ecological devastation described by the story, the American government's (and its citizens') failure to manage the land of Oregon, and the uncomfortable position of "prospering" oppressed peoples such as the Klamath. I also note the importance of reading mythology with historical relevance in mind.
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