Fish Camp

An original drawing of a fishcamp by Brad Cole.

by Brad Cole

Above the fish camp an eagle was circling high in a deep blue sky. The old smokehouse and its drying racks sit close to a collapsing bank of the Tuluksak River.

A long family history is here alongside the hanging salmon and a large cutting table sitting in the grass. Like a good tent the small plywood cabin can sleep many people.

Here I realized that we are like the fish caught in a net of twisted dreams. Dreams that can keep us down deep in a river that runs through our lives. We are the strong-willed salmon swimming against a current and we grow stronger in our silence.

The river like a parent feeds the fish camp. It is a place for families to grow and share in the gifts of the wild. It is for the people to return to the ancient waters and renew their bonds with nature. It is a place to be like an eagle winging itself high and disappearing into the sky.