How did Native American peoples use salmon from the Columbia River?

Native American peoples of the Columbia River basin relied on salmon as a vital, abundant food source, establishing their villages near rivers and streams to access these runs. Beyond their role as a primary dietary staple, salmon were deeply integrated into the spiritual and cultural life of these communities.123

Indigenous groups held the belief that salmon were supernatural beings who voluntarily took on fish form to sacrifice themselves for human benefit. To ensure the continued return of these fish, communities practiced specific rituals, most notably the first-salmon ceremony. During this rite, the first salmon of the season was treated with great reverence:32
* It was cleaned and placed on a clean mat or bed of fern leaves.2
* It was welcomed with a formal speech of thanks and promised respectful treatment.23
* The fish was roasted and shared among the community, often in a communion-like distribution.23
* Crucially, the entrails and bones were returned to the water, allowing the spirits to be reincarnated and report back to their home beneath the sea that they had been well-treated.23