sammy the salmon
Sammy the Salmon, the superhero we’ve all been waiting for! Powered by empathy and solidarity, Sammy merges bodies with other species whose lifeways and migrations are interrupted by colonial forces - to overcome them and save the world! A participatory play commissioned by Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemum Wintu.
the backstory!
After a trip to Disneyland with her grandkids, Chief Caleen was left longing to see a salmon-based hero - someone who kids could be inspired by, and who could uplift the very real superpowers salmon possess.
In case you didn’t know, just a few of their magical abilities include:
transitioning gender based on the needs of their community ❤️
changing their physiology as needed to be able to process both salt and sweet water (Anadromous fish!) 💦
star-based navigation 🎇
jumping as high as 12 feet 🥁
Salmon are pretty amazing, so we didn’t have to do much to elevate them to superhero status. Our storyline added just a little extra sprinkle of magic dust: the prayers of the children imbued Sammy with an extra gift - to be able to empathize with other species, and fuse bodies with them to overcome the oppressive forces that stood in their way.
When Chief Caleen first asked us to create Sammy the Salmon, she’d envisioned an animation, inspired by a stop-motion video Robin had co-created with the kids of the Run4Salmon. Oona and Robin pondered on the premise of Sammy’s character during the horse section of the Run, delving into possibilities with Pom (Chief’s son). The lively spirit of imagination in those conversations opened up worlds over story, birthing both Sammy the Salmon and DigiDeities.
Years passed, sprinkled with different attempts to bring Sammy’s story to life - including the curriculum for a children’s camp to empower them to build out the story, a play script of an invitational opening scene for our team to welcome R4S kids into Sammy’s world, and LOTS of conversation. Ultimately, we realized that there was no better way to weave people into Sammy’s world than
A GIANT PUPPET
So! In the days leading up to 2025’s annual Fire and Water ceremony, we slapped together a multi-person, dragon inspired puppet. Here’s a peak into our process:
Underneath Sammy’s shiny scales - CARDBOARD! TRASH! OH DELIGHT!
Dr. Coco weaving Sammy’s willow back fin by starlight. Coco brought this skill back from their recent bike tour in Scotland, where they stayed and played with a willow based puppetry company.
Even when your face is going to be covered with a mask, sometimes it still helps to bring in some fishial expression to help you get into character
Oona and Cristobal painting the final touches on Sammy’s head
Puppets incite the wilder parts of us into expression, giving us permission to remember the many characters that lay dormant within us. Once we had Sammy’s puppet, all we had to do was gather the youngsters, explain the premise to them, and call for everyone else’s attention. Thankfully, the teens of the group were on board, which got everyone else stoked to participate! Granny Vulture (Oona) offered some light narration to keep the storyline moving; the rest of what unfolded emerged from the collective brilliance of improvisation.
We were lucky to be joined by the legendary indigenous rap star Stewie G, who played “The Bees Knees”
One of the elders surprised us all with an improvised impression of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Sammy got to practice their newfound beaver-blended superpower to chomp the corrupt official down to the ground!
The show ended with a splash - a spontaneous idea that came to Dr. Denny, who quickly recruited others to help spray the audience with water.
We’re so grateful to have been invited to hold the container for this co-created brilliance. Countless folks who participated and witnessed gave us the feedback that this was exactly the medicine community needed - humor, levity, a space to practice our collective wisdom, all with the joy of our kids at the center.
