Bonus Episode: LiaDonna Lopez Whitefoot

LiaDonna Lopez Whitefoot, a cousin of Randy Settler, recounts working closely with Mary Gowdy Settler — a savvy entrepreneur who sold soda at Lionel Falls as a youth and later ran a large fish-selling operation — and why Mary accepted prison rather than name other tribal people implicated in illegal sales. LiaDonna portrays Mary’s defiance as deliberate civil protest rooted in a belief in an inherent, God-given right to fish, and she describes teaching Mary to read so she could protect herself legally and stay informed (Mary reportedly read up to five newspapers). The interview shifts to broader concerns: LiaDonna faults dams, water withdrawals for farming and forestry, and river development for salmon declines and cites government documents she says revealed hostile policies toward Native peoples. Recorded on the Yakama Reservation, the conversation mixes personal memory, cultural context, and environmental critique while the producer notes LiaDonna’s strokes can affect recall but not the clarity of these core memories.