Honoring A Silent Memory The Dalles Chronicle March 12, 2007 page A12 Area tribes remember the loss of Celilo Falls Fifty years ago, the never-ending voice of Celilo Falls roared off the river and echoed back from the cliffs above Celilo Village. On March 10, 2007, the Columbia River at Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum village at Celilo is quiet, the waters placid. In the still morning air a drum echoes across the water, the sound growing as paddles are sounded against the bottom of an approaching dugout canoe. Those gathered on shore to welcome these visitors press closer to the shore. Celilo Chief Olsen Meanus, Jr., raises an arm high in greeting. Soon the sound of rawhide drums and singing drowns out the quiet lapping of wavelets along the banks of Lake Celilo, as visitors are greeted in a traditional manner with sacred songs and a warm welcome. So began the commemoration Saturday morning of the destruction of Celilo Falls fifty years before. The canoes landed at the fishing village of Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum, which means "salmon people," adjacent to Celilo Park. A canvass-covered long house shaded double rows of historic photographs. Booths and displays lined the outer walls. Outside, salmon fillets mounted on sticks and held flat with skewers soon roasted over coals. In the nearby village of Celilo, another canoe ceremony followed the welcoming ceremony, and traditional celebrations continued throughout the weekend. Throughout the day the falls were remembered in the Wash'ut longhouse, as speakers shared their thoughts and memories and were served a traditional salmon dinner hosted by the people of the village. The sounds of hundreds of people, Native Americans and visitors alike, easily drowned out the quiet, placid sounds of the silenced river. Incoming and Outgoing messages protected by Trend Micro PC-cillin program