From Fishing Wars to Alcatraz, Ramona Bennett Shares Stories for Hatchery Project

From Fishing Wars to Alcatraz, Ramona Bennett Shares Stories for Hatchery Project

By Puyallup Tribal News Staff

On Wednesday, employees from Puyallup Tribal Fisheries and Historic Preservation met at the City of Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation. They had an opportunity to document the history of the Puyallup Tribal Fisheries with former Puyallup Tribal Chairwoman and Elder Ramona Bennett.

She shared with them the significance of fisheries to the Tribe through her experience of being a part of the fishing wars camps, selling salmon at Alcatraz, to being shot at with attempts out on her life at least four times. The 83-year-old woman sat there at times with a smile on her face as she told her accord of what happened during some pretty suspenseful times of Puyallup Tribal history.

With her perseverance through trauma and tribulation, she continues to display true grit. She says her final conquest will be at McNeil Island, a small island located in the Washington state that houses the most dangerous male sex offenders. That wouldn’t make the ancestors happy, she said.

Look for a full video with the interview coming soon. In the meantime, please find out more about our fisheries at http://puyallup-tribe.com/fisheries/.

From left: Sarah Bryant (Fisheries), Lucky Spirithawk Bill,  Amber Taylor (Historic Preservation), Richard Johnson (Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation),  Patty Carter (Founding Director of Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation),  Ramona Bennett (Elder), Jeffrey Thomas (TWF/Fisheries)