A compelling on-the-ground account of Native activism in the Northwest A relentless advocate for Native rights, Ramona Bennett Bill has been involved in the battles waged by the Puyallup and other Northwest tribes around fishing rights, land rights, health, and education for over six decades. This invaluable firsthand account includes stories of the takeover of Fort Lawton as well as events from major Red Power struggles, including Alcatraz, Wounded Knee, and the Trail of Broken Treaties. She shares her experiences at the Puyallup fishing camp established during the Fish War of the 1960s and 1970s, which led to the federal intervention that eventually resulted in the Boldt Decision. She also covers the 1976 occupation of a state-run facility on reservation land and the lobbying that led to the property’s return to the tribe. Bennett Bill served for nearly a dozen years as a Puyallup Tribal Council member and ten as chairwoman, organizing social welfare, education, and enrollment initiatives and championing Native religious freedom. Her advocacy for Native children, especially those who had been adopted out of their community, helped pave the way for the Indian Child Welfare Act. Now in her mid-eighties, she continues to organize for Native rights and environmental justice. The book is full of vivid stories of her fearless testimony in courtrooms and press conferences on issues affecting Indian Country, and of the many friends and comrades she made along the way. "In this powerful ballad of resistance, Ramona Bennett boldly walks us through the rich history of the Puyallup Tribe and their fight for justice, recognition, and tribal reparations. Her story of strength and determination extends far beyond the Boldt Decision. For Ramona, fishing rights were only the beginning. Her courageous efforts to fight for the well-being of Native people were never confined to one act but a lifetime of battles. She reminds us that we are here and worthy of thriving, despite state and federal attempts to erase us. This is a story about fighting for our tribal lands, our treaty rights, and most of all our children. Ramona’s determination and compassion led to a demand that our tribal youth be considered a resource more valuable than acres, or fishing or hunting areas, because Ramona is most dedicated to our future generations. Her book details extraordinary accomplishments, and she never shies away from sharing the spotlight. She beautifully celebrates the work and efforts of her comrades, men and especially women who made heroic acts of defiance possible. It’s time our stories of resilience come to the forefront. This book, a stunning example of Indigenous victories, calls us to action and reminds us we have so much to fight for. And Ramona, warrior, writer, mother and grandmother, has laid the groundwork. To sit with these pages is to sit alongside a legend. Her voice, her wisdom, her wit and humor come through so brilliantly it’s like you’re right there in the room with her. And anyone who has had the privilege to sit with her stories knows just what a gift that is."―Sasha LaPointe (Upper Skagit and Nooksack), author of Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk "Fierce and unapologetic, Ramona masterfully resurrects the dark and painful history of the tumultuous 1970s, ensuring that our shared story, once intended to be erased, buried, and forgotten, is vividly brought back to life and forever remembered."―Fawn Sharp (Quinault), past president of the National Congress of American Indians (2019–23) "From tear gas to billy clubs and shotgun diplomacy, Ramona Bennett shows the courage it took to defend the treaty rights reserved by her ancestors and build a healthy future for the rivers, salmon, and Native communities of the Northwest."―Lynda V. Mapes, author of The Trees Are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests "Ramona Bennett is a warrior woman, one of the many named and unnamed of the Red Power generation, whose everyday resistance led to extraordinary events. A fight for survival, Ramona's story is about the fight for the Puyallup Tribe and the restoration of their sacred relatives, the rivers and salmon."―Nick Estes (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe), author of Our History Is the Future "Respected elder Ramona Bennett has been fiercely determined and dedicated to nation building for her people. Across the country, she fought for Native rights. In her journey, she credits many men and women, especially Maiselle Bridges."―Darrell Hillaire (Lummi), executive director of Children of the Setting Sun Productions and coeditor of Jesintel: Living Wisdom from Coast Salish Elders "In this powerful ballad of resistance, Ramona Bennett boldly walks us through the rich history of the Puyallup tribe and their fight for justice, recognition, and tribal reparations. To sit with these pages is to sit alongside a legend. Her voice, her wisdom, her wit and humor come through so brilliantly it’s like you’