Youth take the lead of 2024 Pacific Northwest Canoe Journey

This story originally appeared on Underscore Native News.

At the end of a week-long paddle, the Lee-Choe-Eese Canoe Family, from Quinault Indian Nation, arrived at the homelands of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. One of the youngest paddlers on board, KaLeah, shared a song with those on shore. She sang from the depths of her throat, holding the microphone down by her knees due to the power behind her voice.

As the last melodies of her song bounced off the cargo ships nearby and echoed across the water, Albert Ortivez-Hicks took the microphone and asked permission to come ashore. He first introduced himself in Quinault before asking permission to land, saying those aboard the canoe were tired and hungry and wanted to share their songs and dance.

Introducing each canoe family in their traditional language when asking to come ashore is an important part of protocol.

“Our young people today will never have to say I’ve never heard my language spoken, which I can say at age 70. My parents never spoke our language. My grandparents never spoke our language,” said Connie McCloud, Puyallup, Heritage Division manager for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and canoe family captain. “Now, all our young people will have the opportunity to hear our language.”

This year’s annual canoe journey, which brought together 79 canoe families from Native nations throughout the region, ended in the homelands of this year’s host, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Most canoes were filled with youth pullers. Youth on board also took the lead on following protocol by asking permission to land at Puyallup Canoe Landing.

“This [canoe journey] is different because it’s for the youth and I think we should applaud them and teach them the ways of our ancestors that traveled on the waters,” said Ortivez-Hicks, 18, Quinault.

After Puyallup granted the Lee-Choe-Eese Canoe Family permission to land, they pulled the final small stretch to shore. In the last few dozen feet, as Ortivez-Hicks plunged his paddle into the water one last time, the paddle cracked in half. Moments later, Ortivez-Hicks stepped out of the canoe and raised his paddle high above his head, showing it off to friends and relatives with a look of pride on his face.

“We paddle for the people who cannot anymore, like our elders or those who passed on,” Ortivez-Hicks said. “I try to go hard, always, for them.”

Canoes traveled from all over the Pacific Northwest, including as far away as Alaska, to camp for five days at Puyallup Nation and share songs and dance with thousands of other Indigenous people from Native nations across the region.

Canoe journey is not a new tradition. In fact, it is a continuation of an old way of sharing and community building across Native nations that has been happening in different forms since time immemorial.

This year, canoe families are passing traditions on to the next generations. The overarching theme for the 2024 journey is “our sacred youth.”

“Our traditional way of teaching is to hand that information down,” McCloud said. “If we have our young people in those positions to teach them and they have the opportunity to learn, that’s helping traditionally share our culture from time immemorial.”

Becoming a skipper

A canoe approached the shore at Owen Beach in Tacoma, Washington on July 30, the second-to-last day of this year’s journey.

“Can we bring our canoes and ask permission to come ashore?” a man on the support boat asked. “Miigwech.”

As the two canoes pulled closer to land, a young woman sitting in the back as skipper yelled out directions to her crew.

“Okay guys, now paddle forward,” she said, her voice echoing across the water.

That voice belonged to JJ Lowley, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Colville Tribes and Nimmiipuu, a 19-year-old member of the Portland All Nations Canoe Family. This year, she served as skipper for Amaguk, a canoe carved for the Portland All Nations Canoe Family by John Smith, Skokomish, and named by Elder Frank Alby, Inupiat.

A few years ago, Renea Perry, Tlingit and Inupiat, executive director of the Portland All Nations Canoe Family, asked Lowley if she would consider training to become a skipper. At first, Lowley was nervous and not sure she was ready to step into that role.

“It was something that I was interested in, I just didn’t think that I would be able to be a skipper because it just seemed like such a huge responsibility,” Lowley said. “My mom was one of the people that helped me realize I was ready, and that I could do it.”

Serving as skipper on a canoe is a great honor, according to Lowley. The skipper gives directions to the crew as they are pulling and has the large task of reading the water. The skipper also ensures that everyone on the canoe is following all safety protocols during the duration of a journey.

“It means a lot because it means that the pullers that are going to be on the canoe with me for that day are also trusting me to keep everyone safe,” Lowley said.

Lowley grew up canoeing, as her family is actively involved with the Portland All Nations Canoe Family. Though she doesn’t remember her first time in a canoe, Lowley certainly remembers her first time flipping.

At the time, Lowley was about 9 and was out in a canoe with her mom and another family member. The crew had been practicing for that year’s canoe journey. They had just pulled away from land and all was going well when a sudden wave tipped the canoe, plopping the three into the water.

“I was freaking out because we didn’t do any practice or anything before, like cold water training, which we do know, especially before we go on journey,” Lowley said. ​​”We were all just shocked.”

Now, Lowley is a pro at tipping over and knows just what to do if it happens. As skipper, she leads cold water training in which the crew purposefully tips their canoe so they stay prepared.

This year, Lowley successfully guided her crew to shore each day. A tiring journey, the group landed one final time at Puyallup Canoe Landing, ready to camp in Puyallup and share songs and dance with other families.

For Lowley, one of her favorite parts of journey is relaxing in camp, hearing the echo of songs all around as they tell stories and play stick games.

“Just good vibes. That’s my favorite part of canoe journey every year,” Lowley said.

Revitalization

Squatting on the shore of Owen Beach on July 31, her youngest child wrapped in her arms, Jennifer Rivers, Pacheedaht, called out to her canoe family, on a canoe called Sea Foam Dancer, as they set out on the water for their final departure before landing in Puyallup.

“Way to go guys, it’s been a good journey!” she called. “Last pull, I’m so proud of you guys! Channel your inner warrior!”

Rivers served as ground crew this year, as two of her children and her husband journeyed in the canoe. After saying goodbye and sending them off with words of encouragement, Rivers drove to the final landing at Puyallup Canoe Landing. There, she stood in the water taking a video, her eyes filled with pride, as her canoe family asked permission to come ashore.

Her youngest kid, a toddler, waved his little arm and screamed “Hi dad!” as his father took the microphone and shared a beautiful song with those on shore.

Also pulling on Sea Foam Dancer, Aaliyah James, 11, Pacheedaht, paddled on her first canoe journey this year.

“[My favorite part] is helping other people and dancing to other people’s music,” Aaliyah said.

A few days before the final landing, multiple canoes were out in the water traveling from Suquamish when the weather changed, leading to choppy waters.

Though some canoes had decided not to paddle that day, Sea Foam Dancer and other canoes were on the water. Aaliyah remembers helping another canoe family during the storm — offering food, coffee and guidance.

“The waves were really rough. And the wind was pulling against us so it was really hard to paddle. It was scary,” Aaliyah said. “But we kept going and we made it.”

Canoe journey has been particularly important for the Pacheedaht canoe family, according to Aaliyah and Rivers. For two decades, the nation did not travel for canoe journey. In the past five or six years, Pacheedaht First Nation has been revitalizing the tradition and passing on teachings to their youth.

“It’s important because to be gone for that long from something so traditional is a big deal,” Rivers said. “So to come back is an even bigger deal, to be able to join again and have everyone come together, because it really makes everyone connect.”

Now, young people like Aaliyah will grow up immersed in canoe culture, learning her language, songs and dance while taking part in the annual canoe journey to share and learn from others.

‘The teachings of our water’

Wearing a cedar hat and a beaded medallion, Kathryn Walkingstick, citizen of Cherokee Nation, looked out across the water at Owen Beach in Tacoma, Washington.

On the horizon canoes sang their way to shore, trailed by their support boats.

Walkingstick sat with her 8-year-old grandson, Orion Arabia, waiting to welcome the canoes to shore.

“[It’s about] cultural rejuvenation and the seven generations and passing along the traditions to the youth of the old ways, as much as we’re humanly possible,” Walkingstick said, when asked what canoe journey means to her. “It’s hard to know where you’re going when you don’t know where you come from.”

Walkingstick raised her children in canoe culture, involved with the Puyallup canoe family since 1988. Now, she is continuing that connection with her grandson.

Beaming with pride, she described how well Ourion sings and dances, wearing regalia she made for him. Though still a bit young for journey, he has been learning to paddle and will likely be out there helping pull at a canoe journey in the near future.

When asked what he thinks about canoe journey, Ourion said “I like it,” picking up his drum with a grin stretching from ear-to-ear.

“I’m happy I can share it with him and show the songs and dances in the old ways and their meanings,” Walkingstick said. “The focus is on our youth and passing the teachings of the water and respect and the songs and dances. And then the coming together of the elders, passing the wisdom and knowledge and respect on to the young ones, our next seven generations.”

As Walkingstick and her grandson looked out on the water, canoes appeared on the horizon, one after another taking their turn to ask permission to land.

Sr. Miss Puyallup Nation 2023 crown holder, Naiyeli Cruz-Garcia, 17, Puyallup and Quinault, stepped out of one of the Puyallup Canoe Family’s canoes, swaq̓ʷsəb, made by her uncle, Guy Capoeman.

When she first stepped into a canoe a few years ago, Cruz-Garcia remembers being afraid of the water. But her Quinault family gently pushed her and encouraged her to get on the water as her people traditionally used canoes in many aspects of life. Turns out, she loves it.

“I get so many teachings from it, and a lot of medicine,” Cruz-Garcia said. “Because we’re the next generation, we’re going to have to pick up all these teachings. Because one day not all of our elders, or people that are guiding us, are going to be here. And it’s important for us to pick that up and not to let go of it.”

Canoe journey means a great deal to hundreds of canoe families and thousands of individuals who participate. At its core, it’s about connection, teaching and sharing.

Emphasizing youth participation is a way to ensure that this tradition carries on and is never forgotten.

“It’s about that healing, the trauma, genocide, the attempt to tear our culture and our families apart, bringing our families back together, sharing in positive waves, being able to have friends that you know, are lifelong friends from other places,” McCloud said. “Everybody has a chance to be part of this huge Medicine Circle.”

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