Rafting

In Oregon and around the United States, whitewater rafting has become a tremendously popular water sport. It wasn’t always a professional-guided whitewater rafting trip. Rather, it has developed over time as many cultures and generations have passed down their knowledge and skills for navigating the whitewater of many rivers. Several Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest have used rafting as part of their fishing practices. The Nez Perce and other tribes have been navigating the many rivers that flow into the Columbia River for approximately 15,000 years. They didn’t have any rubber rafts that were bendable. Instead, they floated down in the river on wooden rafts to reach their rich fishing grounds.