SEATTLE — The annual Canoe Journey is making its return to Washington this year after a hiatus of four years.
About 100 canoes landed in Suquamish in front of the Tribe’s House of Awakened Culture on Friday. Organizers are anticipating about 9,000 people from tribes across the Pacific Northwest and British Colombia to stay for two days before the final landing at Alki Beach in Seattle.
Families will be released on Sunday morning for the final stage of the journey to Alki Beach. Suquamish canoes joined the other families in Bellingham on Lummi land as they paddle to the last leg of the 2023 journey.
Kate Ahvakana, a Suquamish tribal member, discussed what makes the canoe journey special, saying people tap into their ancestral culture. That includes activities like performing traditional songs and dance, eating traditional foods and distributing wealth.
"When you go on canoe journeys, as you pull on the highways of our ancestors, things come back,” Ahvakana said.
The annual Canoe Journey has not resumed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Paddle to Muckleshoot is a cultural event for Indigenous people along the West Coast that celebrates their way of life.
Here were the stops and dates for the 2023 Canoe Journey:
- Lummi (July 23)
- Sammish (July 24)
- Swinomish (July 25)
- Tulalip (July 26 and July 27)
- Suquamish (July 28 and 29)
- Muckleshoot (July 30)
- Muckleshoot Community Center (July 31 - Aug. 6)
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