The Spiritual Edge: A Prayer for Salmon

Series produced by Judy Silber

Series image

One epic story about a Native people’s fight to exist.

The Spiritual Edge introduces A Prayer for Salmon. A Prayer for Salmon is a new audio documentary series from KALW’s The Spiritual Edge podcast that tells the story of the Winnemem Wintu people and their clash with Northern California’s Shasta Dam. The dam’s construction turned California into an agricultural powerhouse. It also left the Winnemem Wintu displaced and without say over their land. The series details their fight to resist a proposed Shasta Dam Enlargement Project. It also highlights the Winnemem Wintu’s aspirations to return Chinook salmon to their homeland on the McCloud River, a major tributary of the dam.

This isn’t necessarily going to be a piece of traditional journalism where you hear from one side and then you hear from the other. The way we think about is that colonial ideology is inextricably entwined with the American way of life. With it, comes assumptions about history, culture and property that most of us don’t question. We all know that point of view. So we invite you to listen to A Prayer for Salmon with an open mind. Allow yourself to walk in the shoes of another culture. Our hope is that you will come away with an understanding of the Winnemem Wintu, who they are and what they’re fighting for — and what all of us will lose if they disappear. Hide full description

The Spiritual Edge introduces A Prayer for Salmon. A Prayer for Salmon is a new audio documentary series from KALW’s The Spiritual Edge podcast that tells the story of the Winnemem Wintu people and their clash with Northern California’s Shasta Dam. The dam’s construction turned California into an agricultural powerhouse. It also left the Winnemem Wintu displaced and without say over their land. The series details their fight to resist a proposed Shasta Dam Enlargement Project. It also highlights the Winnemem Wintu’s aspirations to return Chinook salmon to their homeland on the McCloud River, a major tributary of the dam.This isn’t necessarily going to be a piece of traditional journalism where you hear from one side and then you hear from the other. The way we think about is that... Show full description


5 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Shasta-Trinity National Forest, CA—The granddaughter of Chief Caleen Sisk holds salmon eggs before dropping them into an incubator (the blue barrel) where they will hatch and juvenile salmon will swim out into the McCloud River. July 11, 2022. , Credit: Tom Levy/The Spiritual Edge
A Prayer for Salmon - The Return of Salmon. A War Dance held on top of Shasta Dam brought about a surprising discovery: the Winnemem Wintu's fish s...

Bought by KKRN, KGLP, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KVCR, Oregon Public Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 11
Caption: Shasta Lake, CA — The Winnemem Wintu and allies protest the lack of information about the harm caused by Shasta Dam. September 25, 2019. , Credit: Tom Levy/The Spiritual Edge
A Prayer for Salmon - A Protest at Shasta Dam. In a peaceful protest, the Winnemem Wintu call out the U.S. government for its refusal to acknowledg...

Bought by KKRN, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KGLP, KFCF FM, KVCR and more


  • Added: May 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 11
Caption: "Shasta Reservoir, CA — Chief Caleen Sisk on the shoreline near where she says a Winnemem Wintu village site was flooded out by Shasta Dam. October 30, 2018. , Credit: Tom Levy/The Spiritual Edge
A Prayer for Salmon - It's Illegal. We go to Shasta Dam and learn about the history behind its construction in the late 1930s and early 1940s. We h...

Bought by KKRN, KGLP, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KVCR, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: May 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 12
Piece image
A Prayer for Salmon - A Habitat Destroyed. The Winnemem Wintu and supporters start a two-week Run4Salmon prayer to call salmon back to the waters a...

Bought by KKRN, KGLP, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KALW, KVCR and more


  • Added: May 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 12
Caption: McCloud, CA — A Winnemem Wintu man dances in ceremony for the salmon. , Credit: Tom Levy/The Spiritual Edge
A Prayer for Salmon - Speaking for Salmon. At a sacred spring high up on Mt. Shasta, the Winnemem Wintu recount the beginnings of the world when sa...

Bought by KKRN, KGLP, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KVCR, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: May 24, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 10