Canoe landing at previous Canoe Journey gathering.
The Social Justice Committee has decided to join other UU congregations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California in assisting in the fundraising for the annual Canoe Journey of the Coastal Salish People.
We will be doing this in two parts. On June 30th at the end of service we will have a short native drumming demonstration where we will collect any PUUF donations. The discussion for this week will be held upstairs to accommodate space for the drumming. (This is also Kit’s last week with us so we expect somewhat larger attendance.) Homemade fry bread with trimmings will be served in the green room after the service.
On July 7th we plan to have a booth at the Sunday Market with drumming performances every half hour. We are putting together an “Adventure Get Away” package as a raffle prize to raise funds. Some lovely smaller native American items will also be raffled.
The Canoe Journey began in 1989, part of the 100th anniversary of Washington Statehood in which the state and indigenous governments signed the Centennial Accord recognizing indigenous sovereignty. These Canoe Journeys are organized up and down the whole Pacific Northwest Coast and have been hosted by many different Northwest Native communities over the years. Special guest Canoes have been received and welcomed from all around the world.
The Tribal Canoe Journey is an annual event and is hosted by rotating tribal nations along the Pacific Northwest Coast. This year, Lummi Nation has stepped up to host the Tribal Canoe Journey, Sqweshnet Tse Schelangen – “Honoring Our way of Life.” Landings, celebrations, feasts and other activities will be held out at Lummi Nation reservation July 24-28th . The Canoe Journey is a huge commitment and requires the dedication of a lot of material, volunteer and financial resources. During the five-day celebration, Lummi Nation will furnish 150,000 free meals to guests; provide showers, bathrooms and other facilities for more than 100 canoe families; create spaces and activities for elders, youth and families; and give 10,000 homemade gifts to guests.
Reverend Paul Beckel, Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship says “Over the years I have been able to encounter my Coast Salish neighbors in the context of their living traditions, to develop a spiritual rather than entirely utilitarian relationship with nature and to recognize that my childhood religious heritage can only reach its fullness in the humble communion with the many manifestations of the holy….Our support for the Tribal Canoe Journey, in whatever form it takes, will remind us how our interdependent web of human community thrives through our mutual reinforcement.”
Reverend Charis Weathers, Echoes Lutheran, Bellingham WA states that “The Tribal Canoe Journey is one way the Coast Salish have been reclaiming their history and identity. Many of the canoes are paddled by youth, and the journey becomes a way to forge relationships with their other and with their heritage… Successfully welcoming and hosting the canoe journey is a monumental task that can only be accomplished with a lot of outside help.”
Let’s honor our regions connections with the native peoples while we demonstrate what a small fellowship and it’s new Social Justice Committee can accomplish. Please give generously.