Coquille people

I'm Cara Everett.

The Coquille Indian Tribe has been working to bring salmon back to its namesake river in Goose County.

JPR's Theo Greenlee takes us to the Coquille annual salmon celebration, where the festival also underscores what's been lost.

William Murphy has been manning the salmon pit at the annual celebration for 19 years.

The tribal elder says it's his chance to share Coquille culture with the broader community.

The pit is set up to where you have your home pit on one end and your travel pit on the other end.

Their dance and music performances, crafts and vendors, all set up in tents outside the Coquille Casino in North Bend.

But at the center of it all is Salmon, a foundation of Coquille life for thousands of years.