Nancy Ives: The Spirit of the Columbia

Posted on April 26, 2024

Guest performers:
Four Directions Drum Group
Harold Paul (Nez Perce), lead singer

N’Chewana. Wimal. Swah’netk’qhu. These are some of the names for the great river known as the Columbia in the languages of Pacific Northwest tribal nations whose ancestors first fished, gathered together and celebrated along its banks beginning more than 11,000 years ago. In honor of these people and their deep history on this land, The Spirit of the Columbia was commissioned at the behest of conductor Larry Johnson for PYCO’s contribution to PYP’s 100th Anniversary celebration. Inspired by Celilo Falls: We Were There (2022), the composer’s collaboration with poet Ed Edmo (Shoshone/Bannock) and photographer Joe Cantrell (Cherokee), this tone poem shares and develops some of the musical themes from that expansive work. The Spirit of the Columbia is a reflection on both ancient history and more recent events, particularly at Celilo Falls, that are emblematic of the story of the river and its people.

First and most magnificent of a series of cascades and rapids near where the Cascade Mountains meet the Columbia Plateau, Celilo Falls – Wy-Am—was the heart of the region’s salmon culture. For millennia, approaching Celilo Falls was a magical and awe-inspiring experience, with the roar of the water on the rocks audible from miles away, and the mist greeting visitors before the sight. When Lewis and Clark visited the area in 1805, they saw “a great emporium…where all the neighboring nations assemble,” but soon came explorers, missionaries, settlers, and miners. To meet the newcomers’ needs, the U.S. government moved the Native people to reservations far from their homes along the river, but some traditional fishing villages remained and ancient cultural traditions continued.

By 1950, massive dams were already taming parts of the river and the push for progress was powerful. In 1957, the Dalles Dam was completed and the water rose and inundated Celilo Falls. Within hours, villages were flooded, the mighty roar of the falls was silenced, and the mist was gone from the air. But the spirit of Wy-am – which some say means “echo of falling water” – still lives in the traditions and religions, indeed in the very soul of Columbia River Indian people, who still fish on the Columbia and from ancestral sites along its tributaries. Their relationship to the river is too deep and too sacred to be completely submerged. 

The orchestra’s performance of the tone poem will be preceded by a “Duck and Dive” song, used historically to taunt the United States soldiers to fire their cannons, and followed by an old River Song, used to celebrate the salmon feast, both performed by Four Directions Drum Group. Harold Paul (Nez Perce), lead singer, suggested the title and explained to the composer that the spirit of the river is its fish, especially the salmon, and its people. He teaches songs from multiple tribal traditions and explains that the heartbeat and the breath are the basis for these songs, connecting the listener to everyone’s first connection with another, our Mother.

The composer wishes to express her gratitude to Larry Johnson and PYP for the opportunity to share this story, and extends special thanks to Harold Paul for his generous collaboration.

Written by Nancy Ives, 2023