“Getting in the canoe and being on the water is such a huge medicine for us. These canoes have been designed for us for over 10,000 years the same way. When I say we have to take care of them so they can take care of us, this is part of it. And when we go out there, they return that. Because every stroke we take, we’re leaving some of that hurt, some of that pain, or whatever you’re going through. We let some of it go with every stroke, that’s what we’ve always been told.”
– Tulalip Skipper, Taylor Henry
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
Moments before hearty and raucous laughter filled the air, a reverent moment took place at the Hibulb Cultural Center parking lot. On the evening of April 9, three beautiful cedar canoes were stationed in front of the Rediscovery program’s offices. While offering a blessing song, dozens of community members circled each canoe and delicately brushed them with cedar branches, softly awakening the Tulalip canoes for a new season.
The illustrious black and red cedar dugouts radiated a spiritual energy that instilled a cultural resoluteness in everyone involved, from youth to elders. And through the awakening ceremony, the act of caring for the canoes provided a connectedness, that spanned multiple generations, to the ancestors of the Tulalip people who originally performed this tradition at the beginning of each spring.
Tulalip Skipper, Taylor Henry, shared. “We do this every year. We were told to wake them up because they go to sleep for the winter. And it is now time to wake them and let them know we’re going to put them back on the water. We were told when we do this, to always have a prayer, and an open mind and heart, so the canoes know we’re relying on them to take care of us.”
With the awakening complete, community members then removed the floorboards from each canoe in preparation for the cleansing ceremony. Equipped with wash cloths and buckets of soapy water, the people got to work, hand washing each canoe and further building upon that connection to the spirits of Little Sister, Big Sister, and Big Brother.
In total, close to eighty people took part in the ceremony. This included many young kiddos and teens who are excited to return to their ancestral highways for the 2025 Canoe Journey this summer.
Accounting for approximately one-quarter of those in attendance were members of the Tulalip Wellness Court. Since its inception nearly a decade ago, the Wellness Court has helped Tribal members attain sobriety and lead healthy lifestyles. One of the reasons why the Wellness Court has seen much success over the years is the fact that they incorporate a cultural component into each individual recovery plan for their participants.
Said Wellness Court Interim Program Manager, Leora Jones, “We require the participants to attend a cultural event each month. A lot of them have never participated on Canoe Journey or even been on a canoe before. So, we made this one mandatory so they could learn their history and learn more about the canoe family. And now that they got to meet everybody today and feel a bit more comfortable, they have the choice to continue to come out to the practices each week.”
Following the ceremony, Tulalip Wellness Court participant Victor Garcia recalled, “Today was pretty wholesome. It encompassed a lot of our traditions in what we do. It was really community driven, and I learned a lot while I was here. Washing floorboards, washing the outside of the canoe, awakening the canoes in the beginning. It was a new learning experience and really cool. Super thankful to have been here.”
Now that the canoes are ready to return to the Salish Sea, the Rediscovery program is currently holding weekly canoe practice at the Tulalip Marina every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Prior to taking the canoes on the water each week, the participants are required to walk or run a few laps around the marina, so be sure to bring a pair a comfortable shoes if you plan on attending.
“Today was amazing,” expressed Tulalip Skipper and Rediscovery Program Coordinator, Natasha Fryberg. “I think this was the biggest group that we had so far, and it was great to see new faces. Taylor and I work with Wellness Court weekly. We already have established a really good relationship with them. We provide them cultural activities within their court requirements. We also had a lot of teens who participate, that’s kind of how it’s been the last few years. And then our younger ones too, they absolutely love it. I think it’s important – teaching our kids what’s important in their culture and history.”
Natasha continued, “I want to invite everybody out to participate. We have culture night on Tuesdays and canoe practice on Wednesdays. And we really want to promote a healthy lifestyle, whether that’s physical activity, mentally, emotionally, so forth. I think a lot of us are eager to get back on the water and we’re excited for all the new people to be here.”
For more information, please contact Natasha Fryberg at (360) 631-2737.