MARROWSTONE ISLAND — For thousands of summers, their ancestors traveled over the water to these beaches to fish for salmon, dig clams and celebrate the bounty of life.
On Saturday, they returned.
“This is an ancestral reunion,” said Patty Holyan. “They’re here with us, singing the songs, walking with us.”
Holyan, who lives south of Puyallup, is a member of the tribal council of the Snohomish tribe, which held its summer gathering over the weekend at Fort Flagler State Park.
Called a powwow, the weekend encampment is a reunion with singing, canoeing, feasting and ceremonies honoring their ancestors and the people who have kept the link to them alive.
“It’s a time to remember our heritage,” said Nancy McDaniel, Snohomish tribal chairwoman, of Chimacum.
The tribe, which is not recognized by the federal government, has been gathering at the state park in the summer for about 10 years, she said.