Permission to come ashore

Cedar canoes have been the traditional mode of transportation for Coastal Native American people for thousands of years and played a key role in their survival, with the waterways of the Salish Sea serving as highways and trading routes. Each summer local tribes continue this tradition with the Canoe Journey, taking turns hosting events in which thousands of native people paddle in traditional cedar canoes from tribe to tribe until reaching a final landing destination. When tribes reach the territory of another tribe, they request permission to come ashore. After all the canoes have arrived, they begin a weeklong celebration of singing, dancing, and passing their ancestral teachings on to the next generations. The Canoe Journey allows tribal members to participate in their history, origins, values, and lifeways.

Mukilteo, Washington · United States