The Indigenous Connections Team invites everyone to participate in the Gathering of the Eagles (GOTE) mini canoe journey, through the San Juan Islands on May 16-22 (see schedule below). Phreddie Lane, Lummi elder, host and organizer of the event, says “Rooted in the ancestral traditions of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi), the Gathering of the Eagles honors the waterways of the Salish Sea as our traditional highways, connecting our families and villages since time immemorial.” The Gathering is an intentional effort to foster respect among all communities that call the Salish Sea home.
This year, the sixth annual Gathering, we anticipate at least three canoe families, including a youth canoe from Chief Leschi Schools (Puyallup Tribe), and two canoes from Hawaii, one youth and one adult.
There are many ways to participate! In the past, ES members have provided transportation support, ground team support, equipment, and lodging for canoe family members and guests. UUs from Seattle, Kirkland, Woodinville, Bellingham, and Olympia typically join members of the IC Team as kitchen crew during the potlatch on the Lummi reservation outside Bellingham. This year the potlatch is on May 22.
The most important way people can support this event is to show up, be present, and witness the revitalization of tribal traditions, connections among tribes, and relationships between tribal members and non-native people. Standing on the beach and raising our hands to all the paddlers, volunteers, and supporters who come out to honor the spirit of this year’s Gathering is a deeply respectful practice.
Below is the schedule, with landing dates at each of the four stops. If you are interested and want more details, or if you would like to volunteer or lend equipment, please contact Carrie Bowman [email protected]. Thank you!
Schedule:
May 16: Lopez Island, Spencer Spit State Park
1:00 pm canoe welcoming
5:00 pm potluck dinner @ Lopez Community Center
May 18: San Juan Island, Jackson Beach
1:00 pm canoe welcoming
5:00 pm potluck dinner @ Jackson Beach Pavilion
May 20: Orcas Island, Olga
1:00 pm canoe welcoming
5:00 pm potluck dinner @ Olga Community Center
May 22: Lummi Nation, Stommish Grounds (on the mainland, Lummi reservation)
12:00 pm canoe welcoming
4:00 pm Potlatch dinner @ Wex’liem Community Center on the reservation
Everyone is welcome at any point during the journey, whether on the beach, in the kitchen, or at the table sharing a meal. An integral part of a potlatch is to witness the songs, dances, prayers, and testimonies of the various tribal communities. Please consider a trip to the islands or a trip to the reservation to honor these native traditions. These are family-friendly events and all are welcome!
Saturday March 28th was No Kings day. It was a day to celebrate the power of community.
Across the country, more than 3,000 demonstration events brought people together in a shared moment of civic expression. Here in the greater Seattle area, the day unfolded under clear skies and spring sunshine—an ideal backdrop for gathering, connecting, and being heard.
East Shore members were well represented, joining others at two primary locations: Bellevue’s Overlake area and in Issaquah. In both places, the energy was unmistakable. There was a steady current of purpose and positivity, expressed through handmade signs, music, and conversation.
People of all ages participated—from toddlers perched on shoulders to elders in wheelchairs—reflecting a broad and inclusive community presence. Creativity was on full display in the messages people carried, many of them thoughtful, humorous, and deeply personal. Notably, there were few, if any, negative interactions from passersby or drivers, contributing to a peaceful and supportive atmosphere.
So why did we show up?
For many, it was a chance to release pent-up frustration with the direction of national leadership. For others, it was about the importance of showing up in numbers—to make visible that these concerns are widely shared among citizens. And for many, it was simply the belief in the power of collective, peaceful expression: that when people come together with intention, creativity, and respect, their message carries further.
The gathering in Issaquah captured that spirit especially well. Even as the planned end time of 2:30 approached, the energy didn’t fade. The band kept playing, and people lingered—singing along, talking, and enjoying the sense of solidarity. East Shore musicians, along with others, provided a soundtrack of patriotic and protest songs that kept the momentum alive and the mood uplifted.
The persistence of the Overlake group led primarily by East Shore members has been providing weekly leadership for demonstrations which led to over 1000 participants on No Kings Day.. Bravo East Shore!!!”
Events like this remind us that community is not just something we talk about—it’s something we build, moment by moment, through shared experiences and common purpose.
A heartfelt thank you to all the organizers, musicians, and participants who made the day possible. Together, we celebrate not only the messages we carried, but the community we continue to create. If you are interested in participating in the future, please reach out to our Rally for Democracy Ministry Team!
Several times during the year, we Share the Plate with organizations and groups outside our walls that we are trying to support. This month, we will share our plate with the Puyallup Tribe Community Domestic Violence Advocacy Program (CDVAP).On Sunday, November 23, we are honored to welcome Tribal advocates Carolyn DeFord and Carmelita Escarcega to East Shore. Carolyn and Carmelita will speak about their work giving voice to domestic violence victims in native communities, and their work helping victims, families, and communities heal from the trauma of violence.
Carolyn DeFord has been an advocate for the issues related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman & People (MMIWP) for decades. She brought the Faceless Doll Project (originally a Canadian First Nations’ project) to East Shore, including two workshops. The Dolls we created were on display in the foyer and at three local branches of KCLS in 2023.
We hope you will join us on Sunday, November 23, to learn more about Carolyn and Carmelita’s work with the Puyallup Tribe Community Domestic Violence Advocacy Program. Anything you add to the plate that day – or indicate online in November as Share the Plate – will go to the Puyallup Tribe CDVAP. Learn more here .
If you are interested in the work of the Indigenous Connections Team, team members gave a presentation at GA in 2025 that highlighted our work with Carolyn DeFord and other advocates for MMIWP.
During the first week in August, Tribal Canoe Families from as far away as Oregon and Southeast Alaska converged on the land of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, just west of what we call Port Angeles.
The annual tribal canoe journey began in 1989, reviving cultural and spiritual practices outlawed by colonial governments. East Shore members may remember the Paddle to Muckleshoot Canoe Journey in 2023, when the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe hosted the final landing at Alki Beach in West Seattle. Several East Shore members gathered at the beach to welcome the canoes ashore that summer.
This year, two members of the Indigenous Connections Team travelled to the land of the Lower Elwha Klallam people. Marilyn Mayers worked in the kitchen, helping prepare meals for thousands of canoe family members and friends who attended the five-day gathering. Carrie Bowman supported a camp for members of the Kingfisher Canoe Family, led by Phreddie Lane of Lummi Nation.
After generations of advocacy, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and their guests celebrated the removal of two hydroelectric dams (completed in 2014), as well as the safe passage of over 100 canoes. Youth welcomed canoes in the Klallam language and invited them ashore to rest and share food, stories, and dances.
This year, due to fierce winds and rough seas, many canoes were trailered or towed by boat to the final landing. The effected canoe families asked permission to come ashore during Protocol.
“Protocol” begins the day after the landing, with each canoe family allotted 90 minutes to share songs, drumming, dancing, and teachings on the main floor of a large arena. Participants wear regalia with intricate beadwork and weaving, often handmade or inherited. With over 100 canoe families this year, Protocol started at 8am and continued until after midnight, each day for five days. The term “protocol” refers to the ancient practices tribal members honor during canoe family landings, celebrations, and ceremony.
For example,
During the landing:
Canoes cannot come ashore until a paddler in the canoe asks permission from the hosting tribe (the tribe whose land includes the beach).
Canoes come ashore one at a time. Other canoes either wait offshore, or a member of the host nation holds the canoe slightly off the beach.
After coming ashore, a canoe is carried higher on the beach away from the tide zone. (At the Port Townsend landing, volunteers gathered to carry some canoes all the way into the campground because of the tsunami warning.)
During Protocol in the arena:
Members of the host tribe (usually youth) invite canoe families to the floor.
No one crosses the main floor when a Canoe Family has the floor; protocol says to walk around the edges.
The seats closest to the floor are for elders.
Before leaving the floor, a tribe asks permission from the host to leave their lands and waters and return home.
Gift giving is part of a tribe’s presentation.
The host tribe concludes Protocol on the final day, with a joyous potlatch celebration of song, dance, and gift giving.
People who are not native are welcome to attend landings and are usually (but not always) welcome to attend Protocol. Sometimes the practice is to wait for an invitation. Tips for visitors include
Ask permission before touching or photographing canoes.
Avoid walking or standing between the canoes and tribal members greeting them.
Listen, observe, and avoid interrupting ceremony or speakers to ask questions or make comments.
When asked not to record songs and dances (audio and/or video), honor the request. When taking photographs, be aware of what is allowed – sometimes asking permission is appropriate.
Always remember that this is about the Indigenous people, not about the visitors.
The experience of welcoming canoes ashore is thrilling for visitors, volunteers, and support teams. For Indigenous people, the canoe journey is healing. For members of a Swinomish canoe family, the journey this year was profound: as paddles moved through the water and songs filled the air, killer whales arrived to swim alongside their canoe. “Our paddles and our canoes didn’t hit the water for a long, long time,” Joe Williams said. “These songs hadn’t been sung, these prayers haven’t been said in generations.”….. ”The whales held that memory.”….. “We know that everything that we need is in our environment, and being a piece of the environment, not controlling your environment, is the lesson.” (from Seattle Times, Isabella Breda, August 2, 2025)
We had a great turn out for the Seattle Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29! Thank you to all who came and to the Welcoming Congregations Team for organizing. This is the second year we have marched in the parade in recent history. We marched under the banner of Unitarian Universalists of the PNW and were joined with our friends from Westside UUC, University UC and other UUs from the area. We plan to march again next year, so mark your calendars for the last Sunday in June for this great community building event that continues our commitment to being a Welcoming Congregation!
by Nicole Duff, Director of Membership Development
Members of East Shore’s Indigenous Connections Team contributed to a pre-recorded webinar that was offered at General Assembly (GA) in June. The Indigenous Connections Team represents one of many UU congregations in the Pacific Northwest that has established connections with Tribal individuals, organizations and communities, supporting environmental, cultural, legislative, and spiritual efforts and activities. In the webinar, you hear on-the-ground stories of how PNW UUs reach out, engage and support indigenous communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The webinar was created through JUUstice Washington, a regional group of UUs working on ways to address challenges brought on by social and environmental injustice. Members of East Shore’s Indigenous Connections Team focus on work with advocates for individuals and communities affected by the trauma of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Many of you participated in the Faceless Doll project highlighted in our presentation. The dolls created during the project honor missing and murdered women and were featured in our Gallery and at King County Libraries.
If you’re interested in UU action and outreach focused on our PNW indigenous neighbors, check out the recording:
If you want to jump right into the East Shore section, it starts about 37 minutes in.
