2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) Tlingits

Posted on August 5, 2012 by admin

The Skokomish tribal members are close relatives of the Squaxin. Saturday morning, they gave thanks and offered their prayers/protocols at the reception center erected just for the 2012 Canoe Paddle Journey. Non-native guests were treated to chauffeur (shuttle) service from Little Creek Casino, et al, and the tribal center where the festivities were held. The place was packed, tents were erected everywhere on the reservation indicating the extreme level of attendance and interest.

The Squaxin were repeatedly lauded for their generosity and hospitality. They provided unlimited ice cold bottled water to all their guests and free food to visiting tribes for the duration.

The Squaxin Island tribe hosted the 2012 Canoe Paddle journey from along the PNW coast and through the Salish sea. About 100 traditional canoes made the journey with stops along the way culminating in the protocols/ceremonies of each tribe performed for the Squaxin elders. The public was welcome, the event well attended, the host tribal nation was generous, and over one million dollars was spent to prepare for the guests to the Squaxins’ homeland.

The video footage, music, dancing, traditional dress, good vibes, and heart warming family values extolling the First People’s long and rich heritage left many with moist eyes. A heavy emphasis on challenging young tribal men coming of age to exert their strength in a tenacious bid for character, discipline, and maturity was evident as the elders were honored, the youth encouraged to remain loyal to the traditional values of the tribe.

This is a culture that deeply values its young people along with its elders. While the dominant white culture indulges successful enterprises boasting of their profit margins and rate of expansion, the tribes (e.g. The Squaxin) boast of how many jobs they’ve brought to an area, what services they’ve been able to provide their people, what they’ve accomplished to sustain and protect their natural resources, and the degree to which their youth are faring well. The contrast is startling and a bit disturbing.

The following clips caught the tail end of the Skokomish protocols and all of the Tlingit, i.e. a native Alaskan tribe. The journey was long and arduous, but it challenged their youth who participated and helped them transition into proud disciplined dedicated adults, the pride of their communities.

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 1/8 Tinglits