For the first time in 10 years, the Nisqually Indian Tribe will host an annual canoe journey, Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch, this summer.
This canoe journey is an annual celebration and gathering of Northwest indigenous nations. Tribal canoes will travel the ancestral waterways of Puget Sound, then arrive at the Nisqually lands for a five-day potlatch.
The celebration will bring thousands of people to Thurston County from July 31 to Aug. 5, according to the Nisqually Tribe.
“Canoe Journey gatherings are rich in meaning and cultural significance,” the Nisqually Tribe said in a news release. “Canoe families travel great distances as their ancestors did and participating in the journey requires physical and spiritual discipline.”
At each stop along the canoe journey, canoe families follow certain protocols and ask for permission to come ashore, often in their native languages, according to the Nisqually Tribe.
At night in longhouses there is gifting, honoring and the sharing of traditional prayers, drumming, songs and dances.
Meals, including evening dinners of traditional foods, are provided by the host nations.
This year’s canoe journey continues an intertribal celebration and annual gathering of Northwest indigenous nations.
The annual tribal journey in the Pacific Northwest region was sparked by the Paddle to Seattle in 1989 as part of Washington State’s Centennial celebration.
Many canoe journeys have been held since 1989, when pullers from Canada, Alaska and Washington voyaged from their home communities to sites in the Pacific Northwest.
The Pacific Northwest canoe journey has grown to include over 100 canoes and the participation of canoe families from other native canoe cultures, including Native American tribes, First Nations peoples, Alaska Natives, Inuit, Maori, Native Hawaiians, and other indigenous peoples from across the world.
The Nisqually Tribe has participated in the annual canoe journeys since 1994 and has used the canoe journeys to strengthen its culture, its community, and its families, the tribe stated. Historical cultural practices, from carving techniques to gifting ceremonies, cedar weaving to regalia making, have been revived and rediscovered, while songs have resurfaced to be shared at journey's end.
“The Tribe's pride of place and history are once again enriching the lives of young and old alike. The Nisqually Canoe family has learned and taught many of the older skills, and these practices are once again taken up by tribal community members,” the Nisqually Tribe said in a news release.
As the host nation for the 2026 Canoe Journey, the Nisqually Tribe is seeking volunteers to help provide services to canoe families from July 31 to Aug. 5.
Volunteers are needed for medical, security, kitchen cleanup, food prep, parking, and more.
Volunteers can select the areas, days and times that work best for them.
Volunteer signups are open through 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 30.
For more information on the 2026 Canoe Journey, visit https://tinyurl.com/msje2byx
To sign up to volunteer, visit https://tinyurl.com/2s4c3jjz
