The Canoe Journey - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 137

However, mechanisms to revitalize and strengthen Indigenous communities have
been increasing significantly over the past two decades. As discussed in Chapter 6,
the Coast Salish Gathering is working towards goals of improving water quality
throughout the Salish Sea, and leaders such as the late Billy Frank Jr. and Tom
Sampson continue to provide inspiration and guidance to the Coast Salish peoples.
The Canoe Journey is also a notable example - both symbolic and performative
- of strengthening ties and moving towards goals of shared water governance. Stroke
by stroke, year by year, the Canoe Journey provides an important mark for
reconnecting with shared waters and highlighting the ongoing efforts to reform
intertribal relationships and re-imagine shared spaces.
One member of the Quinault tribe, which hosted the 2013 Canoe Journey,
reflected:
The Canoe Journey creates opportunities for tribal members to relearn,
strengthen and reinforce their canoe traditions. There are many cultural values
that are learned from the canoeing, some include: pride, cultural knowledge,
learning how to paddle, respect, and sense of achievement.
The revitalization of the Canoe Journey started with a smaller-scale event. In 1989,
a Quinault Tribal Elder, Emmet Oliver, organized the “Paddle to Seattle” as part
of the Washington State Centennial Ceremony. The momentum gained from this
experience was profound, with thousands of participants over the decades of
Journeys.
Since the 1989 Paddle-to-Seattle, the Canoe Journey has become an important
part of the cultural revitalization process, and similar to the companion journey in
the Yukon River, it is often referred to as “the Healing Journey”. The 2013 Coast
Salish Intertribal Canoe Journey included 90 U.S. Tribes and Canadian First
Nations, and included allies from as far away as New Zealand. The participation
of the other Indigenous groups reflects the strengthening of inter-Indigenous
movements throughout the world and reflects wider efforts of Indigenous cultural
revitalization and self-determination.
Technological platforms have helped make the Canoe Journey more publicly
accessible. The use of websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter also allows participants
to exchange information related to the Journey such as training dates and locations,
travel information, water conditions, as well as perpetuate a more unified (and
publicly visible) experience. This type of networking is present throughout
Indigenous movements (as seen in the Great Lakes and the Yukon River examples
in Chapters 8 and 4) and assists in fostering allies and creating support. The public
platform has been important to build allies and raise awareness of the contemporary
Indigenous movement.
Canoe Journeys and enhanced water governance
At first brush, one might have a difficult time finding the connection between
Canoe Journeys and enhanced water governance. However, recent experiences