PRESS ADVISORY — Canoe Journey 2023: Suquamish Tribe Hosts Last Stop Before Muckleshoot’s Alki Beach Landing
SUQUAMISH, July 2023 — Tribal Canoe Journey is back for the first time since COVID, and the Suquamish Tribe is hosting the last stop before the final landing at Alki Beach. An estimated 100 canoes from throughout the Northwest and Canada will be arriving on the beach in front of the House of Awakened Culture in Suquamish on July 28, 2023. About 9,000 people will spend two nights here before they make the final paddle on July 30 to Alki Beach and the Muckleshoot Tribe’s hosting.
Reporters, photographers, and filmmakers are invited to attend and report on this event. In order to prioritize the integrity of the ceremony and the safety of canoe families and hosts, media representatives are asked to follow the Tribe’s ground rules and obtain a press pass by filling out this form: https://suquamish.nsn.us/for-media-how-to-participate-in-the-tribal-canoe-journey-stop-in-suquamish/
Highlights of the Suquamish hosting include:
Friday, July 28, 2023
Noon to 4pm: Canoes arrive and request permission to come ashore to rest, share stories, and share traditional foods. Suquamish hosts welcome them, and canoes are carried up the boat ramp to the lawn in front of the House of Awakened Culture, the Suquamish Tribe’s longhouse and community gathering space.
5pm: Seafood dinner is served to 9,000-plus people traveling on the water or supporting the canoe families.
7pm: Protocol begins during which visiting canoe families share songs, dances, stories from their travels, and gifts inside the House of Awakened Culture. The tribes that travelled the longest distances are the first on the floor.
Saturday, July 29, 2023
Noon: Protocol continues, dinner is served at 5pm, and protocol resumes at 6pm.
Sunday, July 30, 2023
Morning: Canoe families are released for the final stage of the journey to Alki Beach. Canoes are packed down the boat ramp by paddlers and volunteers. Suquamish canoes, which joined other canoe families in Bellingham, on Lummi land, continue with all the other canoes paddling the last leg of the 2023 journey to Alki Beach, where the Muckleshoot Tribe will welcome the paddlers.
Resources:
The Suquamish Tribe will make photos, press releases, and drone footage available to the media. Contact us at the link below, or include a request in the press form linked to above.
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Contacts:
Sarah van Gelder
Suquamish Tribe Communications Manager
Cell: (206) 491-0196
Jon Anderson
Suquamish Tribe Communications Coordinator
Cell: (206) 999-3912
