New film tells story of first indigenous descent down Klamath River

Описание: To’nehwan Jayden Dauz from the Hoopa Valley Tribe, 15, braces himself in a rapid on the Klamath River near where the Copco 1 and 2 dams once stood, June 22, 2025. Dauz is a participant in Paddle Tribal Waters, a program that trained Indigenous youth for several years to be the first group of people to paddle the free-flowing Klamath from source to sea.(Anna Lueck / OPB )

Jessie Sears (https://www.jessiesears.com/) and Coley Miller join the Exchange. Jessie is a native filmmaker from the Karuk tribe who documented a group of indigenous youth who became the first people to navigate the Klamath River from its source to the sea following the largest dam removal project in history. Coley is a Klamath Tribe member who participated in the river journey.
Jessie Sears, an enrolled member of the Karuk tribe, is a documentary film producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting focused on the experiences and voices of Indigenous Communities.(Luz Gallardo/ITVS)

The new film, titled "First Descent (https://www.opb.org/pressroom/new-opb...) ," is featured by Oregon Public Broadcasting.


ABOUT THE FILM
“First Descent” captures the transformation underway not just to the Klamath River itself – where sections of river are now flowing freely for the first time in more than a century – but among the Indigenous communities that have lived in the Klamath Basin since time immemorial. In the 30-minute documentary, director Jessie Sears, a member of the Karuk tribe, and cinematographer Brandon Swanson share the hardship, comradery, and deep connection the 28 Indigenous youth experience over the course of the 300-mile, 30-day river expedition, as they become the first people to paddle the entire Klamath River from source to sea since four major dams were removed.


WATCH FILM ON YOUTUBE (   • First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath River ...  )
At far left, ‘A:de’ts-Nikya:w Rogers of the Hoopa Valley Tribe pauses at the beginning of a rapid on the Klamath River while other paddlers wait behind him, June 22, 2025. Rogers and the other kayakers are participants in Paddle Tribal Waters, a program that trained Indigenous youth for several years to be the first group of people to paddle the free-flowing Klamath from source to sea.(Anna Lueck / OPB )