Sustained Collaboration…

The history of Celilo Falls, including its significance for Native peoples and what was lost, is a subject largely unknown to modern Americans. Ives has a history of working closely with Indigenous artists to authentically capture, amplify, and relay their stories to wider audiences, and Celilo Falls is a perfect example. The work is centered on first-person testimony and cultural memory, drawing primarily from the lived experience and published writings of Shoshone-Bannock storyteller Ed Edmo, who is from the community most directly affected by the inundation of Celilo Falls and who lived through the events depicted. His prose and poetry are used with full authorization and licensing for all performances and recordings. The project developed through sustained collaboration with Edmo and with Cherokee photographer Joe Cantrell, whose projected photography, rooted in Celilo Falls yet conceived with universal perspective, is integrated into the music, contributing to its broad human and ecological resonance. Cantrell facilitated introductions to and consultation with tribal elders, and the work evolved over multiple realizations that allowed for dialogue, refinement, and confirmation of approach. Earlier performances of partial versions functioned as opportunities to test and adjust both musical and narrative elements in close conversation with collaborators and community members. The authority of Celilo Falls derives not from external representation but from long-term collaboration, consent, and the use of primary sources articulated by those whose lived experience forms the core of the work.

Meet the Collaborators…

Interested in programming Celilo Falls: We Were There? Please reach out!