The mighty Columbia River cuts a deep gash through the Miocene basalts of the Columbia Plateau, coursing as well through the lives of the Indians who live along its banks. Known to these people as Nch’i-Wana (the Big River), it forms the spine of their land, the core of their habitat. At the turn of the century, the Sahaptin speakers of the mid-Columbia lived in an area between Celilo Falls and Priest Rapids in eastern Oregon and Washington. They were hunters and gatherers who survived by virtue of a detailed, encyclopedic knowledge of their environment. Eugene Hunn’s authoritative study focuses on Sahaptin ethnobiology and the role of the natural environment in the lives and beliefs of their descendants who live on or near the Yakima, Umatilla, and Warm Springs reservations.

Details the destruction of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest by well-intentioned Americans who saw only the benefits of the dam-building, power plant and irrigation projects, not realizing the longterm effects of killing the river.

Kids will delight in learning about the formation of rivers, the water cycle, and the variety of habitats that exist along the length of a river in this introduction to the precious natural resource of rivers. All major rivers that run through the United States, Canada, and Mexico are discussed in regional chapters, including the Chattahoochee, Colorado, Columbia, Hudson, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Rio Grande, and St. Lawrence Rivers as well as many others. Kids will discover how rivers have shaped our history and learn of the issues that are currently facing these important waterways. More than 30 fun-filled activities including "Build Your Own Dam," "Huckleberry Finn Log Raft," "Salmon Trap Game," and "Settling Sediment" are provided. Sidebars on river keepers around the country, and a complete resource section listing books, videos, and websites complete this activity guide.

A current reference work that reflects the changing times and attitudes of, and towards the indigenous peoples of all the regions of the Americas. --from publisher description.