It was crowded. 114 ocean-going canoes, 15,000 people and many millennia of tradition all coming together in a huge colourful celebration at the Lummi Nation Stommish Grounds in northern Washington state. Paddle to Lummi 2019, the annual traditional Tribal Canoe Journey, drew indigenous canoe families from across the Pacific Northwest including Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. Appropriately, the Lummi are the Lhaq’temish, the People of the Sea.
With the bows nestled on the shore, each skipper, in turn, requested permission for their canoe to land, usually speaking some words in the Nation’s language, describing their journey, and thanking the generosity of their hosts.
