You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Shortwave producer Rebecca Ramirez here with our former intern Indi Kera.

And today we want to start by sharing a story from the Cow Creek Band of the Amqua tribe of Indians

about how the Pacific Lampray traditionally called an eel lost his bones in a betting game with salmon.

The game was one of sticks.

As your father's play, betting on how many robes or fird switches the other holds,

the eel who was very lucky won for a long time.

Then he became careless.

He bet recklessly the salmon began to win.

The eel lost all he had won. Then he lost all he had of wealth.

When he lost everything, he bet his bones.

Again, the salmon won. That is why to this day, the eel has no bones.

And Kelly Coates knows all about the Lampray's lack of bones.

She's a fishery's biologist for and member of the Cow Creek Band of the Amqua tribe of Indians out in Southwestern Oregon.

She says Pacific Lamprays look like eels, but are actually a different fish.

Only a distant relative of eels. They've got a pair of eyes, some breathing holes on either side,

a little sucker for a mouth, no scales, and no paired fins or jaws, like most fish today.

A very ancient evolutionary blueprint for a very ancient fish.

One of the oldest living fish on earth appearing in the fossil record about 450 million years ago.

Olong Geldu Gualach Dan. The Lampray has been important.

Because of this, it has a long,

Khadan Huma Khadam Debin. Lampray was our first food.

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