The Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people have a deep, foundational history with river travel, credited with introducing the practice to early settlers—including helping the Lewis and Clark Expedition on their descent of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Yet, centuries of forced displacement and systematic disconnection have left Tribal members largely absent from their ancestral waters and the ways in which their people moved up and down the rivers of their homelands since time immemorial.

In hitoláayca (Going Upriver), we follow Devin Reuben as he trains to become the first certified Nimiipuu whitewater guide of his generation. For Devin, learning the lines of these rivers is about much more than a job—it’s an act of cultural reclamation.

Increasing Indigenous representation on the water benefits everyone: it allows Indigenous guides to deepen their connection to their homelands, reclaim a culture and way of life, all while teaching the broader boating community how to be respectful visitors and true caretakers of these sacred spaces.

“I just really hope that I do get the opportunity to have grandchildren, and tell them stories about how the river has impacted my life. I hope they see that, you know, you’re a young rez kid, you can do what you can imagine you can do. Push forward, you know? Break those boundaries. Be the first person.” – Devin Reuben 

Learn more about the Pandion Institute’s guide training and workforce development programming, and support the next generation of Indigenous river guides: https://www.pandioninstitute.org/