Jeremy Takala (Pax’una’shut) is a member of the Kahmiltpah Band (Rock Creek) and a second-term member of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council. A dedicated advocate for treaty rights and environmental stewardship, Jeremy serves on the Willamette Falls Trust Board and Tribal Leadership Committee, bringing a lifetime of commitment to tribal sovereignty, natural resources, and community well-being.
Jeremy’s dedication to the Columbia River Basin runs deep. He serves as Treasurer of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) — where he previously served as Chair — and spent 12 years conducting vital salmon and habitat restoration work with Yakama Nation Fisheries. His regional and national leadership includes representing the Yakama Nation on the historic, White House-backed Columbia Basin River Initiative, as well as serving on the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Seattle Indigenous Advisory Council. On Tribal Council, he guides work across the Fish and Wildlife, Legislative, Law and Order, and Veterans committees, and has successfully led efforts to secure critical funding for tribal law enforcement to combat the regional fentanyl crisis.
For Jeremy, the work at Willamette Falls is deeply personal. His relationship with the Falls began in childhood, when his uncle and grandfather first took him, his brother, and his cousins to the area. Every year since, returning to the Falls for the annual Eel (Lamprey) harvest with his family has been a central tradition — providing sacred traditional food for longhouses and local communities.
"Willamette Falls has been an important place to me since I was a child...It’s vital to ensure our children have the opportunity to build their own connection to this sacred food gathering site. This project offers a unique opportunity to share history, pass down knowledge, and show how tribes, the Trust, and the broader community can collaborate to help everyone connect with this special place."
Raised in Goldendale, Washington, as a drummer and provider for the Rock Creek Longhouse, Jeremy is deeply rooted in his culture and is raising his children to be active in their community. Guided by a framework of lifetime stewardship, he remains devoted to protecting ancestral waters, traditional foods, and inherent treaty rights for generations to come.
