Manson family

The Manson family was an Indigenous community of the lower Columbia River region whose fishing village was inundated by a dam.

Lower Chinook people: Indigenous peoples historically inhabiting the lower Columbia River and adjacent Pacific coast. The Manson family belonged to the Indigenous communities of this region.
Bonneville Dam: A hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, completed in 1938. Its construction inundated the Manson family’s fishing village.
Columbia River salmon: Salmon populations that migrate through the Columbia River basin between the Pacific Ocean and freshwater spawning grounds. Salmon were central to the river-based livelihood of lower Columbia communities.
Indigenous displacement: The forced or pressured removal of Indigenous peoples from their homes and traditional lands. The village’s inundation was a local instance of displacement through infrastructure.
Chinookan peoples: Indigenous peoples speaking related languages along the Columbia River and nearby waterways. Their wider cultural and linguistic world frames the community’s regional identity.
Bonneville Reservoir: The Columbia River reservoir created by Bonneville Dam, extending upstream through the Columbia Gorge. Its rising waters covered the village site.
Dipnet fishing: A fishing method using a hand-held net lowered into moving water to catch fish. It is one traditional technique used in Columbia River salmon fisheries.
Indigenous sovereignty: The inherent authority of Indigenous nations and peoples to govern themselves and sustain their communities. It frames questions of Indigenous authority in decisions affecting ancestral river places.
Columbia River: A major river flowing from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific Ocean. The river sustained the community’s fishing village and shaped its homeland.
Columbia River Treaty: A 1964 agreement between Canada and the United States coordinating flood control and hydropower development in the Columbia River basin. It exemplifies the wider infrastructure and governance reshaping the river.

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