Words by Shane McLean; photos by Kalvin Valdillez
I’m excited for our youth to go be Indians in a more traditional way, to decolonize a little and go live, learn, and travel closer to how our ancestors did. Our traditions and culture are a lived experience. You cannot feel or learn what canoe journey is at school or in a book, you have to be there to fully understand.
It is a blessing from the creator and the cedar tree to be able to travel on the water in a canoe. This is where our people and youth get balance in their lives. When you learn to respect the water, you learn to respect yourself, because we are water, and this journey helps strengthen that connection.
There is so much to learn while on the journey, we honor the circle everyone is a part and everyone has a voice, we all get to witness sunrise ceremonies, learning new and old ways of prayer. There are teachings from the cedar tree, we honor our canoes for sacrificing itself for us to travel.
When we are on the canoe, we travel with a good mind and heart to show respect for the cedar tree, our family on the canoe, and the water. All of these things have the ability to feel energy, water amplifies emotions and holds memory, this all teaches us how we should be on the journey of life and how to treat nature and one another.
We not only ask permission from the canoe to be on the water, but we also ask permission to come ashore of our relative’s homelands that we visit. We are taught to leave things better then when we arrived. This is travelling in a good way.
Our youth will be learning what it means to be a good host to our guests and how to travel in a good way. Singing a song is one of the nicest things that we can do as humans, and when we dance it shows that we are happy. It all spreads good energy and vibes to help uplift others and ourselves.
Our youth will get to witness and learn what it means to be potlatch people. These are just some of the things I’m excited for our youth to be a part of. There is so much more, but you just have to be there.
Thank you and have a good journey!
