SANDPOINT, ID – The Idaho Mythweaver has announced the debut of its newest public radio documentary and podcast episode, People of the Salmon, which will air live at noon on Memorial Day, May 26, over Spokane Public Radio station KPBX and via live stream at spokanepublicradio.org.
The episode is also available through the Voices of the Wild Earth podcast series on mythweaver.org, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Additional broadcasts are planned over Boise State Public Radio later this summer.
Narrated by longtime producer and storyteller Jane Fritz and co-produced by Justin Lantrip, People of the Salmon explores the Nez Perce Tribe’s ongoing efforts to reintroduce sockeye salmon to Wallowa Lake in northeast Oregon. The hour-long documentary features archival voices, interviews with tribal biologists and elders, and natural soundscapes, focusing on the cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance of salmon to the Nimi’ipuu people.
Fritz will join Nez Perce Fisheries project manager Shane Vatland for a public presentation on Thursday, May 29, at 7 p.m. at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph, Oregon. The event will include stories, audio excerpts, and photos documenting the Tribe’s multi-year salmon restoration work in the Wallowa region.
The program addresses historical and modern challenges to salmon migration, including the damming of the Columbia River and the continued impact of the four Lower Snake River dams. The story also honors the late Silas Whitman, whose voice is featured in the documentary.
The project was supported by the Idaho Humanities Council, a state-based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from Idaho Forest Group and several anonymous donors. The work is dedicated to Whitman’s memory and offered in reciprocity to the Nez Perce people.
