By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Community News
The Swinomish Smokehouse swelled with celebrants on Friday night, a large crowd gathered at the Cedar Hat Pavilions the following afternoon to welcome the arrival of 37 canoe families from tribes throughout the region, and hundreds gathered Saturday night for an evening meal at the tribal gymnasium.
Those were just a few highlights of the Swinomish leg of Canoe Journey 2026 — the Paddle to Nisqually — an event focused on Coast Salish cultural revival.
Since 1989, the modern version of Canoe Journey has been an opportunity for friends and family to reconnect with one another and revisit ancestral traditions.
This year’s festivities would certainly have warmed the heart of the late Vi Hilbert, an Upper Skagit elder and leading cultural conservationist who passed away in 2008 — but not before successfully launching the rebirth of Lushootseed usage among Western Washington tribes.
Hilbert taught Lushootseed, a traditional Central Coast Salish language, at the University of Washington from 1971 to 1988 and co-wrote Lushootseed grammars and dictionaries during her remarkable second act as an indigenous linguist.
Her lasting impact — now a generation after her passing — was apparent here all weekend.
School-age members of the Swinomish Royal Court, dressed in ceremonial regalia and tasked with granting visiting canoe families permission to come ashore, introduced themselves in Lushootseed as well as English.
Swinomish Cultural Events Director Aurelia Bailey addressed Canoe Journey spectators: “I’m grateful to have them (the Swinomish Royalty) here, standing together in front of all our friends and relatives from near and far.”
Canoe family spokespersons from Lushootseed language tribes also offered bilingual introductions. Those representing tribal communities as distant as Vancouver Island and Alaska likewise conversed in traditional dialects.
The ornately painted canoes, many adorned with tribal flags, set off early Saturday from Fidalgo Bay Resort in Anacortes, home to the Samish Nation. They fought windy conditions and the current much of the way before making a soft landing at Pearle Jensen Beach near La Conner Marina.
At about 4 p.m., with the tide favorable in the swәdәbš Park landing channel, the flotilla lined up for its final push on Swinomish Channel. Escorted by support boats, the canoe families navigated the local waterway along with large yachts, sailboats, and kayaks.
Prior to the landing ceremonies, members of the Edwards Family sang and drummed a blessing song in honor of the canoe pullers. The canoe families, some of whom had been on the water for a week or more, thanked Swinomish for its hospitality.
“The trip has been amazing,” said a spokesman for the Oliver canoe family. “But we’re very tired from this long journey.”
Michael Gabriel, speaking for a Chilliwack, B.C., canoe family, struck a similar chord.
“We want to join you and build new relationships,” he said.
Eugene “Huge” Edwards served as the canoe landing announcer. He lauded the canoe families for their work on the water and commitment to cultural preservation.
“Thank you for your medicine,” he said to one of the canoe families.
“We welcome you with open arms,” Edwards told another landing group, “and thank you for making your journey.”
A large ovation greeted the three Swinomish canoes that landed, a trio of vessels that included the Salmon Dancer skippered by 72-years-young Tony Cladusbid.
After the landings, the Swinomish kitchen crew led by Cathi Edwards served a free dinner to all in attendance. The meal featured 500 pounds of salmon and 300 pounds of halibut along with elk steak, scallop potatoes, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, frybread, and mixed berry dessert.
The weekend at Swinomish kicked off with singing, dancing, and drumming at the Smokehouse Friday night, yet another opportunity for cultural sharing.
Canoe Journey is reflective of bygone generations when coastal tribes ventured on Northwest waterways to distant cultural gatherings and for trade. Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch in Thurston County is the 2026 Canoe Journey destination. Participating canoe families will take part in activities there from July 31-Aug. 5.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
