Origins

The origin story of the reefnet, an innovative fishing method invented by the Lummi Nation and other Northern Straits Salish tribes thousands of years ago. Through a common technology and a shared language, the reefnet binds the people of the San Juan Archipelago as a source of physical and spiritual sustenance.

Capitalism and industrialization spoil the oceans of Washington Territory, changing the Salish Sea forever. Following punitive legislation, environmental damage and resource devastation caused by a booming cannery industry, the Lummi Nation are all but removed from reefnet fishing.