Chinook

Painting of chinook salmon.
Watercolor painting of the profile of a chinook Salmon with a red belly and green back, face and fins. The body of the fish is speckled with black markings. The watercolor painting is mounted on a nautical map of the Puget Sound waterways. Image by Kirsten Spooner.
This image portrays the intersection of indigenous food sovereignty and native habitat restoration. The original painting was made to be used as the flyer for an annual restoration party organized in collaboration with Duwamish Alive! at the Hamm Creek estuary along the Duwamish waterway. This area is vital in the reproductive cycle of salmon, making restoration extremely important. Every year salmon travel up river along the Duwamish to spawn in the protective estuaries. The Duwamish river is a working river, with various industries along its shore. In 2001 the EPA declared the lower Duwamish waterway a superfund site. Not only are salmon fighting against the pollutants caused by these industries, they are also affected by the destructive invasive species brought here by colonizers. For the purpose of restoring the estuary we clean up trash, remove invasive species, and plant native species. Unfortunately this year, due to Covid-19, we determined it would not be safe to organize the work party. In an effort to keep the spirit of the event alive, the original painting and prints were sold, with the entirety of the proceeds given to the Duwamish Longhouse.
Portrait of Kirsten

Kirsten Spooner (she/her/hers)

Occupied Duwamish Territory. Anticapitalist abolitionist with a passion for printmaking. No gods, no masters, no borders. Currently involved in The Long Haul Mutual Aid Kitchen. IG: @Blackmountaindistro

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