BRINNON– The plan was for five canoes to arrive ceremoniously Monday afternoon to provide a fitting end to the North Olympic Peninsula’s first day of the 21st annual Tribal Canoe Journey.
But about 10 miles south of the destination of Brinnon, the weather — and plans — changed.
Wind creates hazard
“I could read the sky and could read the water,” said Ed Green, who was the skipper on one of the canoes.
“It got really windy, so I didn’t think we were going to make it safely.”
So Green directed four of the canoes to pull into Pleasant Harbor to wait out the wind.
In the meantime, a small crowd was gathering on the beach in Brinnon, awaiting word about when — or if — the canoes from Skokomish lands at south Hood Canal were to arrive.
The waiting group included Marilyn Bard whose father, Emmett Oliver, began the Tribal Canoe Journey in 1989 as a way to revitalize Northwest Native American heritage.
“This is not a race,” she said.
Annual journey
Indeed, canoeists representative Native Americans and Canadian First Nations from the Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland have begun their annual journey to keep Native traditions alive and promote clean and sober behavior among tribal youth.
The pullers and other tribal members — as many as 10,000 — are trekking to Neah Bay, where the Makah tribe will host the 2010 journey for six days beginning Monday.
On Monday, Bard was kept up to date by a relative, who exchanged text messages with someone on the support boat.
Around 3:30 p.m., one canoe arrived, gravitating toward a fire Bard had built during the wait.
“Everyone told me how these canoe pulls are so much fun,” said one teenager as he warmed his hands.
“That’s [expletive] because this is hard work.”
North up Hood Canal
About 40 pullers among the five boats head north to Port Gamble today, joining Puget Sound canoes which then will head to Port Townsend on Wednesday.
The group will grow as the journey continues to Jamestown and Port Angeles, where canoes from Vancouver Island are expected to rendezvous.
The group is traveling about 30 miles a day, which Green calls “an average pull.”
This particular leg consists of canoes representing the Oliver family and the Skokomish tribe as well as two “teaching canoes” of local students.
Bard said the journey contains “people of all ages,” but most of the participants were in their late teens and early 20s.
“This gave me a perspective on the tribes’ life and culture,” said 17-year-old Michael Ragland-Johnson of Seattle. “They know where they came from.”
Green, 45, is participating in his 10th Tribal Canoe Journey.
“This is in my blood,” he said.
“I am seeing exactly what my grandfather and great-grandfather saw and have to face the same obstacles. “
These obstacles include the unpredictable water, wind and weather that slowed the canoes Monday.
“Every journey is different and has faced its own setbacks,” Green said.
Arrival time vague
The arrival time was deliberately vague because of these obstacles, but observers knew when to gather, and about 40 people were on hand to see the canoe arrive.
There was no ceremony, aside from a small Skokomish contingent which sang a traditional song of optimism.
Prior to the landing, Bard searched for a Skokomish tribal elder to grant permission for the landing.
None appeared, and the canoe landed wordlessly after circling the bay.
Skokomish elder Kim Cloud, who accompanied the singers, said the hosting land was not tribal so the permission ceremony was unnecessary.
“This land is owned by a family, so we just thank them for its use,” she said. “There is no welcoming ceremony in these cases.”
The travelers were treated to a traditional potlatch of clam chowder, bread, salad and berry pie at the Brinnon School prior to camping out at Dosewallips State Park.
Then comes the journey to Port Gamble this morning.
But the canoes may be towed or trailered depending on the weather for safety reasons, Green said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
