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The traditional salmon lunch starts with Frank Gensaw, of Crescent City, cutting up the salmon and skewering the fish on long redwood sticks. -
The pieces of salmon released tantalizing smells as they cooked on redwood stakes located around the edges of the fire pit. -
Samuel Gensaw (left) and Jon Luke Gensaw, both of Crescent City, managed the fire pit coals and the salmon skewers arranged around the heat. -
Long lines as usual for the last step of the salmon lunch. -
Race volunteers Gloria Goodman, of Crescent City, and Fawn and Elanor Beall, of Klamath, got in some color-throwing practice before the start of the Ney-puey Color Run at 10 a.m. -
Some race participants used evasive action to avoid the color tossed their way in the Ney-puey Color Run. -
Race volunteers Gloria Goodman, of Crescent City, and Fawn and Elanor Beall, of Klamath , tossed some color on participants in the Ney-puey Color Run. -
Another group of race volunteers at a different location tossed color on participants in the Ney-puey Color Run. -
This large Prey-go-neesh (California condor) replica was perched on the parade entry vehicle of the Klamath Boys and Girls Club. -
The Yurok Tribe honored four elders (all in their 90s) as Grand Marshals in the morning parade, including Jeanette Eberhardt. -
Mildred Griffith-Montgomery was honored as Grand Marshal in the morning parade, which was her birthday as well. -
The Yurok Tribe honored Gloria Shuster and Joseph Pitt, Sr. as Grand Marshals in the morning parade. -
A fun aspect for the photographer is to visit with the parade entry participants before the parade begins. Here members of the Klamath Boys and Girls Club burned off a little energy while waiting for the parade to begin. -
Abby Abinanti is California’s first Native American female lawyer, studied journalism at Humboldt State University and currently is a Yurok Tribal Court judge. While waiting for the parade to begin in the Tribal Court parade entry vehicle, she shared an update on the activities of the Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People movement and its plans for a fall event to increase awareness. -
Yurok Tribal Court judges Bill Bowers and Abby Abinanti waved to the crowd from the Tribal Court parade entry that promoted awareness of the Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People movement. -
Photo opp for the Marching Lumberjacks, made up of Cal Poly Humboldt students and alumni, before they performed what every parade needs: live music. -
This angel rode along with the hydroplane boat parade entry from the Cal-Ore River Racers organization that sponsors races on the Klamath River and elsewhere. -
Members of the Cultural Fire Management Council parade entry tossed treats to the children and mock-threatened sparying water on the crowd. The organization’s goal is facilitate the practice of cultural burning on the Yurok Reservation and ancestral lands. -
The traditional Stick Game Tournament began with the youngest boys playing the full-contact game that resembles a blend of lacrosse and wrestling. Participants compete tossing the “tossel” either up or down-river with their sticks toward the goal line to score a point. -
The stick game features a lot of physical contact as players wrestle opponents to the ground to prevent them reaching the “tossel” (see lower right). -
This young stick game player successfully snagged the “tossel” (see upper right) from the ground and tossed it toward his team’s goal line. Adults were on the playing field to help coach and supervise the activity. -
This young stick game player successfully snagged the “tossel” from the ground and tossed it toward his team’s goal line. -
This young stick player reached down to snag the “tossel” as an opponent neared him from behind. Adults joined the playing field as coaches and supervisers of the action. -
This young stick player (right) successfully snagged the “tossel” with his stick and tossed it toward his goal line, just before his opponent could interfere with his attempt. -
A successful throw of the “tossel” toward his goal’s end line to score a point. -
Braelynnn Lincoln-Johnson, of the Karuk Tribe and Coos Bay, Oregon, shared the backstory of this traditional regalia that she has worn in the past. -
Phyllis Hunter, of the Mono Tribe and Tollhouse, California, demonstrated her weaving technique in making a cradle board. -
This basket weaving was created by Silver Galleto, of the Pomo Tribe and Santa Rosa. -
Verna Reese, of the Karuk Tribe and Happy Camp, worked on her weaving demonstration. -
There was a most unusual sighting of a humpback whale and calf in Klamath on Saturday. It’s carved from an old-growth redwood log saved from the lumber mill due to its many knots and twisted grain. This large 33-foot-long wood sculpture of a humpback whale and calf was located off Klamath Blvd. near the Salmon Festival activities. Wood-carver Tonu Shane Eagleton, of Oahu, said he had brought his old-growth redwood sculpture to Klamath to be blessed by Yurok elders as he prepares to take the whale sculpture around the world to promote preservation of the ocean ecosystem. (Photo illustration: minor retouching of the scene was done to remove distracting visual elements.) -
Wood-carver Tonu Shane Eagleton, of Oahu, said he found the old-growth redwood log at a mill site in Willits 15 years ago. He pointed out how he used a knot hole in the wood to create the whale’s eye; the knot hole and twisted grain had saved the redwood log from being sawn into lumber years ago.
