Submitted by Friends of the San Juans

Editor’s note: At about 5 p.m., July 20, Friends of the San Juans staff relayed that canoes were re-routed from the San Juans to Lummi Island but that the dinner would continue as planned.

On Friday, July 20, tribal members from British Columbia will arrive on San Juan Island ocean-going canoes as part of the tribal canoe journey “Power Paddle to Puyallup.” This intertribal canoe journey will end in the territory of the Medicine Creek Nation, which the Puyallup Tribe will be hosting July 28–Aug. 4.

The island community will host two nights of camping, meals and ceremonial space for the tribal canoe families. All are welcome and invited to the community dinners at 6:30 p.m.

Landing dates and locations in the San Juans are:

• Friday, July 20: Pe’pi’ ow’elh (English Camp, San Juan Island National Historical Park).

• Saturday, July 21: Sxw’alech (Odlin County Park, Lopez Island).

Volunteers are needed to help with meals. Support sail or power boats are needed to escort canoes crossing from Sidney to San Juan on July 20, San Juan to Lopez on July 21 and Lopez through Rosario Strait on July 22. Contact Friends of the San Juans at 360-378-2319 for more information or to volunteer. The canoe journey reinvigorates Coast Salish culture and builds relationships with the communities they visit in their traditional homeland. This year’s canoe journey is supported by Friends of the San Juans, Roche Harbor Resort, National Park Service, San Juan County, San Juan County Parks and community members of Lopez and San Juan Island.