On Monday I joined Virginia Cross, Chair of the Muckleshoot Council to welcome the canoes and participants of the “2012 Canoe Journey – The Paddle to Squaxin”. 

The beautiful handcrafted and painted Native American Cedar canoes are the traditional mode of transportation for coastal people of the Pacific Northwest.  The resurgence of canoe journeys began in 1989 during the Suquamish Tribe’s “Paddle to Seattle.” Then, in 1993, the Heiltsuk Nation in Bella Bella, BC challenged all canoe nations to travel by canoe to their village participate in the Qutawas Festival.  28 canoes answered that challenge.

Today more than a 100 canoes from as many as 90 US Tribes and thousands of people participate in the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys. The canoe journeys have become a major catalyst for Coastal Tribes to re-learn, strengthen and reinforce their canoe traditions.

The participants share the motto that “We pull together; we sing and dance; and we share our culture – everything  in honor of our past, present and future generations”.

Photo by: Thao Tran

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Posted by: Mayor Mike McGinn