VIDEO: Duwamish Tribe canoe family begins Paddle to Elwha with West Seattle departure
(WSB video and photos by Tracy Record)
That’s the Duwamish Tribe canoe family paddling the Kikisoblu – named after Chief Sealth‘s daughter (also known as Princess Angeline) westward in Elliott Bay this morning, shortly after launching from Don Armeni Boat Ramp, headed out on this year’s regional canoe journey, the Paddle to Elwha. Here’s how it unfolded, once the canoe arrived:
Canoe family members gathered on the dock for a prayer:
Spectators lined the nearby overlook:
We learned that most of the canoe family members for this journey are women (and a 10-year-old girl!) – emblematic of the fact the Duwamish are a matriarchal tribe. Among the crew members is Vanessa, whose heritage covers both ends of the canoe family’s journey – Duwamish and host nation for this journey Lower Elwha Klallam – we talked with her and her mom on video:
This is Vanessa’s first canoe journey, as it was for several others with whom we spoke. But this isn’t just about the journey to the host nation; it’s also about the five-day protocol that will begin after arrival; another canoe family member, Victoria, told us about the weekly practices of the songs and dances the Duwamish will present during that celebration with the other participating canoe families. “The best thing about this is community,” she told us – Duwamish community and regional Indigenous community.
Singing and drumming on the dock accompanied the 18-person canoe’s departure as it first headed to rendezvous with its support boat just offshore:
After that, it was off to Suquamish to stay overnight tonight as the first stop – here’s the map of the stops/departures along participating canoe families’ journeys to the host nation:
The Duwamish canoe family plans to stop at Port Gamble, Port Townsend, and Jamestown before arriving at the Lower Elwha Klallam landing site next Thursday, with protocol to start on Friday.
At Don Armeni, there was a postscript to the Duwamish departure – a smaller canoe family, flying a flag LAND BACK, had put in at the next dock over, and its crew called over to Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen, asking for permission to depart:
They said they were local residents with Southeast Alaska heritage and that they hoped the Duwamish “get their land back.” They were singing, prior to departure, when we left Don Armeni on our way to follow the Duwamish canoe from shore.
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