At age 23, Freddie Lane was one of the youngest purse seine fishing skippers in Lummi Nation. Now, nearly 30 years later, Lane is training the next generation.
As a former fisherman, Lane developed a keen eye for reading the water, recognizing currents, the pull of the tide and learning how to navigate waters where he traveled.
Drawing from this experience, Lane is guiding his 17-year-old niece, Alysa Julius, for this year’s Power Paddle to Puyallup Youth Canoe Journey.
Puyallup is 35 miles south of Seattle and the final location of this year’s canoe journey. Julius is one of dozens of tribal youth who are participating in an annual tradition that honors the ancestral waterways of their tribes.
The first modern canoe journey hit the water in 1989, formerly known as “Paddle to Seattle.” Fifteen tribes participated, signaling a revival of Coast Salish canoe culture.
Canoe journeys have existed throughout Indigenous culture, but this year Connie McCloud, heritage division manager for the Puyallup Tribe, insisted on the formation of a youth-centered one, where elders pass down cultural knowledge.
This passage of knowledge can help foster future leadership roles for younger members, McCloud said.
Gallery: Canoe journey stops in Birch Bay, Lummi
“That’s what we’re highlighting … how do we help our youth? How do we grow our youth?” she said. “We have plenty of work to do … to continue to heal our communities, our children.”
Ten canoes, each representing a tribe, landed ashore the evening of Tuesday, July 23, marking the fifth day of a 12-day journey involving hundreds. Paddling around in the water and forming a circle, each canoe proceeded to line up along the rocky beach of the Lummi Nation Stommish Grounds. The Nooksack Indian Tribe also welcomes canoes on Monday, July 22 to the shores of Birch Bay State Park.
Sonny Curley, a member of the Quinault Indian Nation, remained on the shoreline and sang a prayer song, rhythmically tapping his drum as he looked out at each canoe from Gooseberry Point.
Flags situated at the front of each canoe danced in the air, bearing names such as the Nooksack Indian Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and Sts’ailes, a Coast Salish First Nation.
Several canoes were adorned in wreaths for protection, hanging over decorative art painted on the side. Each youth paddler spoke into a microphone, asking for permission to land as part of cultural protocol.
A different tribal nation hosts the journey each year, providing food and lodging to canoe pullers. Canoe journeys such as Power Paddle to Puyallup pay homage to ancestral routes.
Tribal nations relied on various waterways to travel for trading, hunting and visiting relatives. In years past, routes spanned the coasts of Washington, Alaska and British Columbia.
In preparation for Tuesday’s landing, Lane paddled with Julius and several other members of their canoe family to Portage Island on a practice run. As rushing waves lapped against each side of the canoe, Lane instructed his niece to identify water currents and to take caution of wind patterns.
“I was kind of scared, but you know what? I had my elder and I just knew that those who needed life vests were OK,” Lane said. “It’s moments like that … they are learning experiences.”
Julius received the crown as Lummi Nation’s Stommish Princess, a title awarded to her last month during the Stommish Water Festival. This is Julius’ second year paddling, but her first where she will train as a skipper.
Lane’s canoe is made out of western red cedar, weighing nearly 600 pounds. “As an environmentalist, this journey is guided by spirit more than anything,” he said, fixing the red Puyallup Tribe of Indians blanket draped over the bow.
As a former Lummi council member, Lane started to host canoe landings in 2003.
“These are our ancestral roads that take us from village to village,” said Lane. “Our memories are still along the shore in spirit with our ancestors.”
He also organizes the Gathering of the Eagles, a mini-canoe journey that spans the course of a week prior to Memorial Day.
Lane coined this intergenerational celebration as the “unofficial kickoff to summer,” where canoe travelers visit six islands — Anacortes, Lopez Island, San Juan Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island and Lummi Island — to honor the original homelands of the Lummi people.
“All of our elders are gone … so we’re all these kids have,” said Lane. “I don’t know how to say that nicely. A lot of our own truth, traditions and customs that we grew up with are disappearing.”
Lane takes pride in the relationships he has with his own elders, such as Richard Solomon (known as Hutch ak wilton), and his former school teacher Shirley Bob.
Lane was one of 33 students she taught in 1972, instructing them on traditional dance and language. Bob was delighted to see several of her former students working as council members, including her granddaughter, Tsilakadim, who serves on the Lummi Youth Council.
Within Bob’s own teaching, she describes to her students that these journeys serve as an outlet for healing.
“When they get on these canoes, every stroke they take, they’re shedding all that hurt they carry,” she explained. “The harder they pull, the more it comes off. By the time they reach their destination, they feel free.”
Visual journalist Hailey Hoffman contributed to this report.
Olivia Capriotti is a Dow Jones summer news intern, specializing in data journalism. Reach her at oliviacapriotti@cascadiadaily.com.
