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Gerald Lewis Invocation
Ee inme naymuma, my relatives, it is a very beautiful day indeed as I awoke this morning
and looked to the east to see the sunrise as it come over the mountains, this is something
we truly enjoy each and everyday to realize that we are alive. And today, we take the
first drink of water and to thank the creator indeed for this life that each and everyone
of us have. This heart. This body. And this soul. These are the things that the creator
has blessed each and everyone of us with today. So if you’ll join me I’m going to sing
a song, three verses with the bell and I would like to express a few words immediately thereafter…
ee klowee kush.
Today I would really like to thank BPA and the Army Corps of Engineers for allowing the
tribes that you see that are sitting behind me and those that are within the crowd to
be here today because this is very important indeed. This land that we are standing on
today is a corridor that our people used to use to travel back and forth from the coast
area inland and as we all know there was a big fishery that used to take place called
Celilo Falls. Between here and Celilo there were many, many camps in this area that our
people used to live and work when they would gather the foods, the salmon.
And today, a lot of those places are underwater because of the dams that we see in place,
but we cannot impede progress in each and every one of us, live in a home and we use
the electricity that comes through the lines. Our people used to live in such as the teepee
that sits behind us here. And today, very grateful to be here to witness what is going
to take place. I bring my family with me. My mate, her name is Wah kee sha nah, Beverly,
and my two grandchildren, whose English name is Trevor and my granddaughter her name is
Ava, but their Indian names are Stowhy, and Anahxa. That is what they are recognized by
today that is what this land knows them as Stowhy, and Anahxa. My Indian name is Kah
loo lah.
So today as I sing this song, I wanted to bring attention to this land to this water
to this nature, the trees, and the very earth that we stand on; that we do not forget these
things that our elders have taught us. Because it is very important that we remember these
things, on behalf of our elders today. So, once again, I wanna thank BPA and the Army
Corps of Engineers past and present that are here today. Thank you. Ee klowee kush.