Tribal Canoe Journeys

It first took place in 1989 as part of Washington's Centennial celebration, and has since attracted participants from other Pacific Rim Indigenous canoe cultures, such as Ainu, Hawai'ian and Maori.

Canoe families visit Native Nations en route to the final host destination, which changes each year.

The Swinomish Tribe built a waterfront park, featuring three covered pavilions that resemble woven cedar hats, in time for its hosting in 2011.

Each year, a different Native Nation hosts the event, providing food and lodging to the canoe pullers, support crews and other visitors from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.

On arrival at the destination, visiting canoe families ask formal permission of the hosts to land, sometimes speaking in their Native languages.

On Feb. 6, 2024, Ahousaht chiefs and council announced they could not host the Canoe Journey as planned, citing concerns that the annual event had grown too large for their small community to safely accommodate, and saying they had not been properly consulted before the invitation was made.

[6] Chief Mike Wyse of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in British Columbia announced that Tribal Journeys 2020 was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[7] Because of continued risks from the pervasive pandemic, the Executive Council of the Tla'amin Nation, the destination for the 2021 event, announced on Oct. 30, 2020 that the Canoe Journey would again be postponed.