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It would be hard to find a legal victory any more important than the ruling named after federal judge George Hugo Boldt in 1974. It was the turning point for the fight led by Nisqually activist Billy Frank, Jr., initially affirming the treaty fishing rights for 20 tribes in western Washington State. But it provided the basis for a far-reaching transformation of Indian Law and natural resource management.
GUESTS
State Rep. Debra Lekanoff (Lingít/D-WA40)
Ed Johnstone (Quinault), chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Nancy Shippentower (Puyallup), activist and chair of the Salmon Defense Fund
Rob Purser (Suquamish), tribal fisherman and Suquamish Tribe fisheries director
Break 1 Music: Cissy (Fish/Smoke Dance) (song) Sheldon Sundown (artist) Hand Drum/Smoke N’ Round Dance (album)
Break 2 Music: Whatcha Gonna Do [When the Rain…] (song) Thea Hopkins (artist)
To give you an idea of this man’s love:
Back in the day my dad and I would be on the NIsqually banks every weekend supporting Billy while he fished and got arrested. I was young. I asked my dad why we were there because it wasn’t our U&A and we couldn’t even fish there. My dad said, “Because he’s my friend and I want him to know we are here for him. I know one day if we needed, he would be standing with us, too.”
When we got our whale on May `17, 1999 I ran down to the beach to find my dad and Billy was standing right there with him. That’s love. Love between friends. Love for treaty rights. Love for what’s right. Love for people. I’m so excited to go to DC next year.