Reverence and honor accompany the prepation of salmon at the annual First Salmon Feast at the Celilo Longhouse. This ceremony has been held at Celilo for thousands of years, and continues to the present.

From an ecological standpoint, salmon have enriched and sustained the ecosystems of the Northwest for millennia. By transporting marine nutrients in their bodies from the ocean to the spawning grounds, salmon provide food for creatures at all levels of the food chain from aquatic insects to grizzly bears to very trees that make up the Northwest’s forests.

The tribes believe that the salmon was created along with an ideal habitat in which to enjoy its existence and that for thousands of years the salmon unselfishly gave of themselves for the physical and spiritual sustenance of human beings. The salmon's abundance shaped the culture, religion, society, and even languages of the tribes of the Northwest. A significant percentage of calories that the Columbia Basin tribes consumed came from salmon, elevating the reverence that the tribes placed on this incredible gift. Their religions always thanked the Creator for the bounteous blessing of salmon; they also thanked the salmon for offering themselves as food for humans.

Salmon continued to play a significant role in the diet and economy of the region after non-tribal settlement. At one time, the Pacific Northwest was defined by “anywhere salmon returned.”

Salmon are a keystone species for the health of Pacific Northwest ecosystems. They make a vital contribution to the identity, health, and economy of the region both on and off the reservations among both Indian and non-Indian.