Permission to come ashore

Permission to come ashore. gʷəɬaɬliləxʷ ɬi siʔiʔab. , "When you're on the water, you know that you're celebrating your ancestors and taking care of your spirit" , -Tulalip tribal member, Sydney Napeahl., Cedar canoes are the traditional mode of transportation for Coastal Native American people and for thousands of years, canoes played a key role in their survival. The waterways of the Salish Sea have been their highways and trading routes., Each summer the local tribes continue this tradition with the Canoe Journey. The tribes take turns hosting the events in which thousands of native people paddle in traditional cedar canoes from tribe to tribe until reaching their final landing destination. When tribes reach the territory of another tribe, they request permission to come ashore. After all the canoes have arrived, they begin a weeklong celebration of singing, dancing, and passing their ancestral teachings on to the next generations. The Canoe Journey allows tribal members to participate in their history, origins, values, and lifeways.