2023 tribal canoe journey underway in Pacific Northwest
About 100 canoes are expected to join the cruise that ends at Seattle’s Alki Beach on Sunday.
SEATTLE — Every year canoe journey will return to Washington this year after a four-year hiatus.
About 100 canoes docked at Suquamish in front of the Tribal Awakening Culture House on Friday. Organizers predict about 9,000 people from tribes across the Pacific Northwest and British Colombia will stay for two days before the final landing at Alki Beach in Seattle.
Families will be released on Sunday morning for the final leg of their journey to Alki Beach. The Suquamish canoes joined other families in Bellingham on Lummi as they paddle to the final leg of their 2023 cruise.
Kate Ahvakana, a member of the Suquamish tribe, discussed what makes the canoe trip so special, saying that people tap into their ancestral culture. That includes activities such as performing traditional songs and dances, eating traditional foods, and distributing wealth.
“When you go canoeing, when you ride the highways of our ancestors, everything turns around,” says Ahvakana.
The annual Canoe cruise has not been resumed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Paddle to Muckleshoot is a cultural event for Indigenous peoples along the West Coast that celebrates their way of life.
this is stop and date for Canoe Journey 2023:
- Lummi (July 23)
- Sammish (24/7)
- crocodile (July 25)
- tulips (July 26 and July 27)
- Suquamish (July 28 and 29)
- sniper (July 30)
- Muckleshoot Community Center (July 31 – August 6)
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