Tribal Journeys
Tribal Canoe Journeys is a celebrated event for the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Nations from the coast of Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington state participate every year in these Tribal Canoe Journeys. These are a sequence of canoe journeys taken up by canoe families, nations, and groups who travel in ocean-going canoes, either authentic replicas of traditional canoes, made out of solid cedar logs or various replicas using more modern techniques and materials.
The Tribal Canoe Journey is a revival of the traditional method of transportation and is a significant cultural experience for all the participants. The canoe culture had all but disappeared until 1989 when the "Paddle to Seattle" was initiated during the 100th anniversary of Washington Statehood. That year, the state and local tribal governments signed the Centennial Accord recognizing tribal sovereignty. In celebration, coastal tribes organized the Paddle to Seattle to help revive their canoe culture. Fifteen tribes participated the first year. The journey started in La Push, home of the Quileute tribe, and included stops at traditional village sites along the way. Each year, a different nation hosts other Indigenous nations coming from coastal communities of Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. Depending on distance, the trip can take up to a month. Participants learn traditional canoe carving and decorating, and learn to work together as a "canoe family". All Tribal Journeys activities are family-friendly, drug- and alcohol-free. On arrival, the host tribe holds a Welcoming ceremony, with the canoe families asking permission to land. Cultural festivities, such as drumming and dancing, last for days. In 2009, the Suquamish tribe hosted the 20th anniversary in their new House of Awakened Culture with over 6,000 participants and 84 canoes coming ashore.
The 2011 Tribal Journeys event is hosted by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community the Swinomish Territory near Anacortes,WA. http://www.swinomish-nsn.gov/Resources/Canoe-Journey-2011.aspx
Read more about Tribal Journeys: Recent History of The Journeys, Future Journeys
Famous quotes containing the words tribal and/or journeys:
“Totem poles and wooden masks no longer suggest tribal villages but fashionable drawing rooms in New York and Paris.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“... she was a woman. She had been taught from her earliest childhood to make use of this talent which God had endowed her, would be an outrage against society; so she lived for a few years, going through the routine of breakfasts and dinners, journeys and parties, that society demanded of her, and at last sank into her grave, after having been of little use to the world or herself.”
—Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–1898)