BLYN — Jamestown S’Klallam tribal youth will learn about their heritage through a series of cultural lessons leading up to a canoe journey across Lake Crescent later this month.
About 16 middle school-age children started a three-week program called “Youth Passages” on Tuesday.
“This is important for the kids because they are learning about their culture,” said Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Wellness Coordinator Ross Turkus. “Essentially they are being given ownership of their culture.”
The primary goal of the program is to introduce tribal youth to the culture, physical challenge and emotion of the canoe journey experience, which has seen an upsurge in Native American communities in recent years, Turkus said.
Program participants will learn the ways of the canoe from tribal elders and community leaders.