Paddling Tribal Waters: Families, River, and the Promise of Hope
by Ginger Rogers (Hupa)
The Kayak Journey on the River
A few years ago, a group of youth and staff from Ríos to Rivers set out with a vision: to gather Indigenous youth from across communities and prepare them for a once-in-a-lifetime journey down the Klamath River. With the removal of the Klamath dams scheduled to be completed by the Fall of 2024 – the largest dam removal project in the world’s history – they wanted Indigenous youth to be the first to paddle the river once it ran free again.
Some of these young people trained for years, steadily building their skills and their connection to the water. Others joined in the summer of 2024, stepping into an intensive season of learning and challenge. Each year brought a new cohort – Cohort 1, Cohort 2, Cohort 3 – building toward the moment of the descent. Together, they carried the responsibility, excitement, and honor of being the first to kayak the full length of a river long obstructed, now flowing freely again.
The Impact on Families
For me, as a mother, this journey has been deeply moving. My eldest son, ‘A:de’ts-Nikya:w, was involved since the very beginning of Paddle Tribal Waters, and my other son soon followed. I have watched them grow alongside this program, not only as participants but as mentors. By their second summer, both had been hired into youth mentor roles – paid positions where they stepped into leadership, training others, sometimes even those older than themselves. No longer just the kids camping at the edge of the river, they became part of the team shaping the program.
Witnessing that transformation has been incredibly beautiful. Growing up as river people, we are water warriors. I carry childhood memories of standing up to protect our lands and waters, and I know this will always be our responsibility. There is so much greed and extraction, and yet our homelands remain sacred and abundant. With that comes a duty of care – a reciprocal relationship with the water, and the responsibility to speak for that which does not speak the language of corporations and money.
To see my boys take this on, to be part of something bigger than themselves – yet also deeply a part of themselves, of our people, our ancestors, and our future – has been powerful. This has been more than a sport. It has been a spiritual experience. It has meant sacrifice, too. They’ve been away from home for summers and even semesters of travel and training, kayaking rivers across the Pacific Northwest and South America, while their sisters and I missed them dearly. But I remind myself that what they are doing is vital. They are growing into young men within a healthy space, learning to know the water in new ways, building community, and expanding their understanding of who they are and the responsibility they carry.
What’s Next: A Promise of Hope
This journey has shown these young Native leaders the strength of their voices and the power of coming together. It has created bonds that will last forever, brought healing, reclamation, and celebration, and reminded us how deeply connected we are as river people. Watching them paddle in together – the camaraderie, the emotion – it is something beyond words.
I look forward to the documentaries that will share this story more widely, offering a glimpse of all that unfolded on the river. At PYEC, we were able to hear directly from some of the youth about their experiences, and it was truly inspiring. Their words and presence provided hope – not just for the future, but for right now.
For too long, Indigenous youth have entered spaces where they did not see others like themselves. Paddle Tribal Waters was created to change that – to get more Native youth on the water, reconnecting with their ancestral relationships to rivers, and building visibility in a sport that has often excluded us. And it is working. It wasn’t long ago that it was not “cool” to be Native, that our people were not celebrated or seen in their strength. To see our youth, our elders, our families smiling with pride and joy – it brings tears to my eyes.
The seed planted on this journey is one I know these young leaders will carry forward. They are already talking about continued training, about bringing more youth into the water, about leading in ways that reflect their own traditions, their own strengths, their own communities. The weight was heavy at times, but they bore it with courage and heart. And what they received – experience, training, honor – they will now carry for generations to come.