"Actually the female of the pair of 'Spring' salmon. "Salmon Dance ~ Chiin Xyaalaa I"—The Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast believed that Salmon are Supernatural Beings with Human Spirits. They lived in villages deep under the ocean. In the spring, these Salmon People put on their outerwear of shiny skins and swam through the sea on their journey to dance at the mouths of rivers, before they willingly swam upstream to present themselves as food for the Human Beings. After the Salmon were eaten, with great respect, they put the complete fish skeleton back in the water with the belief that their Human Spirit would rise again and the flesh of the Salmon People would regenerate, continuing this cycle of life.

History speaks of these spirits giving generously; they were the integral link between mere survival for these peoples and the freedom to enrich their lives through the exploration and development of their art and culture."-April White