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)
by Carrie Bowman, Indigenous Connections Team