River Song: Naxiyamtáma (Snake River-Palouse) Oral Traditions from Mary Jim, Andrew George, Gordon Fisher, and Emily Peone

For many generations into the twentieth century Mary Jim, her family, and their ancestors lived a free and open life on the Columbia Plateau, moving from the Snake River to Badger Mountain to Oregon's Blue Mountains. Their stones are rich in content, interpretation, and nuance. Denied a place on their ancestral lands; the original Snake River-Palouse people were forced to scatter. Maintaining their cultural identity became increasingly difficult. Still, elders continued to pass down oral histories. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing over three decades, Naxiyamtáma elders-in particular Mary Jim, Andrew George, Cordon Fisher, and Emily Peone-shared their stories with a research team. They hoped to teach American Indian history in a traditional manner and refute incorrect versions. In the process, multiple themes emerged-a pervasive spirituality tied to the Creator and environment, a covenant relationship and sacred trust to protect and preserve their traditional lands, storytelling as a revered art form that reveals life lessons, and belief in cyclical time and blood memory. The featured elders had ties to Plateau people's leadership families and had lived in the traditional way. They participated in the ancient Wáshani religion and honored the Creator through First Food ceremonies. River Song endeavors to capture those elders' original voices and remain true to Snake River-Palouse oral traditions. Their retelling offers regional creation stories like "Why Coyote Made the Palouse Hills" and "The Origin of Palouse Palls," as well as other narratives-all with a distinct Naxiyamtáma perspective.