Salmon Fishing, Raised on the Rez, Bali Dreams with Lamar Fairmint

Lamar Fairmint is a young man I’m lucky to know. I finally got a chance to meet him in Costa Rica at the Retreat—no question he had the most interesting background of anyone who attended.

In this episode, we talk about what it was like growing up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon. Lamar shares stories about his Native roots, family history, and what it means to live with both Native and Black heritage. We also talk about the weight of generational trauma—and how he’s learning to carry it with more grace as he gets older.

Before getting to know Lamar over the past few years, I’d never known anyone who grew up on a Reservation. Come to think of it, I’d also never met a salmon fisherman.

But that’s what Lamar’s does. He’s a commercial fisherman. And his business does well enough that he spends half the year traveling the world.

The origins of his fishing career are interesting too. He says fishing gave him purpose after dropping out of San Diego State, and shares what life on the water has taught him about patience, resilience, and doing things “your own way.”

Questions asked:

What’s your biggest takeaway so far from the retreat?
How far is Pendleton from Portland?
To what do you most attribute the growth of your business?
How did you get into fishing & running farmers markets?
What’s your best day ever on the water—your most memorable fishing experience?
Do you target salmon specifically?
Do you get tired of eating salmon?
When’s the last war between Native tribes?
Is there an actual border around your reservation? How do you know where it begins and ends?
What was school like growing up, did you attend school mostly with other Native kids?
How did you think about college? Was it a guarantee for you growing up?
Did you drop out of college for fishing, or was it due to cost?
What’s the population of your reservation?
If you were a totally sovereign Native nation & struck oil or gold and became wealthy, do you think there would be a revolt against America?
Are there disadvantages to being half Native?
Are you targeting Native women when dating, in order to preserve benefits?
How much are the benefits worth—is it enough to live on?
Who here have you most connected with, or been impressed with, or spent the most time talking to [at the Retreat]?

Fun questions:

If you could create a new holiday that doesn’t exist now & you’re wanting to celebrate a unique aspect of human nature, what would you celebrate?
What’s the best gift you ever got at Christmas from Santa?
If you could switch lives with anyone for one day, who would it be? And would you have sex with their wife that night?
Is there a book that’s most impacted your life?
If you could take any activity & make it an international thing–like an Olympic event–but it’s something that you’d be competitive in, what would that be?
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
What do you think is the biggest geopolitical risk or our biggest existential threat?
If you were invited to the Oval Office and Donald Trump asked for your best advice, what would you give him?
If Diddy is guilty of everything he’s being accused of, what should his punishment be?
If there’s one person you wish could attend this retreat next time, who would it be?
Overrated/Underrated: Brett Favre, Anthony Edwards, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving
If we were playing Final Jeopardy, and you got to choose the category, what would it be?