Pacific Northwest Tribal Canoe Journey

July 23, 2011

Last Sunday afternoon I was gazing out at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and was excited to see the canoes of numerous tribes making their way to Port Angeles harbor at Hollywood Beach.  I could hear faint singing as they were pulling their canoes along the calm waters.  You couldn't have wished for a better day to be on the sometimes treacherous waters of the Salish Sea.

I loved that there was no enormous container ship in the photo, because other than the small support boat that was accompanying them in case there was trouble, the view could've been a couple hundred years ago when the tribes of the Northwest had this area all to themselves.

Every year since 1989 tribes from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska trace the ancestral trading routes of Western Washington and British Columbia tribes.

According to the Peninsula Daily News:  "Along the way, pullers ask for permission from other tribes to come ashore.  They typically spend one night at a given tribal area - hosted with food and an exchange of songs, dances and stories - and continue the journey with more canoes and more pullers the next day."  

The final stop is hosted by a different tribe each year.  This year it is being hosted by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.  You can find maps, etc. of the trip on their dedicated website.  The map alone is worth checking out, because the journey some of the tribes take is incredible and all of the journeys must be beautiful.

I went to the ceremony at Hollywood Beach for my first time to experience the ritual.  Tears flowed down my cheeks as the welcoming Elwha Klallam tribe sang and drummed a welcome to each canoe that arrived.  The ritual was touching and warm, a wonderful thing for the spirit to witness in these times.

Each tribe from far and near in turn would paddle up and ask for permission to come ashore their territory and enjoy their hospitality.  (I'm tearing up just talking about it again!)  The Elwha Klallam tribe gives a warm welcome and helps them bring their canoes ashore for the night.

I believe I saw at least one woman in each canoe and in one it was all women except for two men.  The canoes are painted with traditional patterns and are quite beautiful.  I will save some photos of several for a later posts on Wordless Wednesday.

This post is part of Unique Women in Business' Summer Fun blog carnival.  Check out what other kinds of summer fun are happening across the country!