So when we come down this way: Salt River, Paul Manski

So when we come down this way were always walking across the salt river.

This is our great river the salt river. One of the things that i do when i come to the salt river

is offer salt river yerba santa, fragrant plants,

the Gobernadora, Larrea tridentata.

       I offer it to the river for safe passage, salt river, take these fragrant leaves, this yerba santa, for my brothers and sisters who use this water and who used this water.

      Everything you see everything you hear doesn't belong to me. It's part of what i need to use to survive. It doesn't belong to me but i use it and the way that i use it, is the way i define myself...the way i define myself as a person. I define myself as a person in this salt river, salt river valley...

i see over here la Gobernadora, Larrea tridentata, this is the plant, this is the plant that we use when we come this way. 

      When we come down to the salt river we see our plants that grow here, and some of the plants that grow here they are what they are. Here we have jojoba, here we have Larrea tridentata. These are the plants that we use.

 these are the plants that are our medicine here. The salt River is a great river for us. And it's important, when ever you cross the river, whenever you come into this country, whenever you plant your feet in a different way on this earth to walk to a new place...

acknowledge the river, acknowledge the truth of this river, the truth of this water that flows, like blood, like mud from way up above, from way up above, yes that's right, the salt river. The white river, the black river they come together, they mix, they mix right here.

    This is Larrea tridentata, the Gobernadora,

this is the plant that we use when we come to this place. Some people will say, "well, what plants do you use?", I say, "i use the plants that are here." Ha ha Ha ha ha, i use the plants that are here in the way that i use them. So that's what i do. So that's who i am.