The Canoe Journey - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 139

Jazmine, who has participated in every Canoe Journey since she was a young
child, and Shaylene, who has been participating since she was 11, are part of a
new generation of Indigenous youth, in which the norm (rather than the exception)
is to promote cultural revitalization. They are part of a generation with a unique
vantage point where they are connected to a wider world in a way that many of
their parents were not. Common throughout the stories told in this topic is the
promise of youth; the connections and groundings of the youth help address the
complex issues facing the Indigenous nations (and the world more broadly). Their
perspective - rooted both in tradition and a global perspective - holds the promise
of breaching worlds to tackle complex problems. Many are concerned that traditions
continue to die off with elders. But a resurgence of interest in Indigenous languages
with the tribal youth holds promise for moving forward. The Indigenous com-
munities from the Great Lakes region (Ojibwa) and the coastal Pacific (the Coast
Salish) are two North American examples of language revitalization initiatives that
focus on rebuilding communities through language immersion.
Connection to place
The Journey also becomes a place where lessons about the environment (tides,
marine life, water quality) are passed on. These teachings occur organically, through
questions around the campfire, while they are floating, pulled out on the beaches
for lunch. They also occur through storytelling, passing on ancient tales that hold
powerful and profound lessons. It provides an incredibly important classroom for
reconnecting with water and the land through experience. Taking the “frog's eye
view” as renowned Native American scholar David Wilkins calls i t, 1 h elps to provide
an embodied experience where the participants gain a profound connection with
the water and land of the Salish Sea Basin.
Creating allies
The public nature of this Journey is noteworthy. The Journey, arguably, is as
important internally (for Indigenous communities) as it is externally (for non-
Indigenous groups). How outsiders view and experience the Canoe Journey is an
important way to reconstruct new space. How media report on the Journey
amplifies the experience to the outside world. Thus, the performativity of the Canoe
Journey helps to reconstruct the coastal landscape to include Indigenous acts as
contemporary rather than relics of the past. The inclusion of Indigenous actors
into the landscape and seascape helps to break down barriers. For the Coast Salish,
these borders are both nation-state (between Canada and the United States),
intertribal (between tribes), and Indigenous and non-Indigenous.
For example, in the 2013 Canoe Journey, lead canoe puller, Justin Finkbonner
(Lummi), posted on his Facebook page: “Invited in for coffee and to use the
bathroom from strangers on the beach today. We are used to being chased off the
beaches - thank you kind strangers”. In Washington State, one of the few states
where beaches can be privately owned, the landing of canoes for non-scheduled
breaks can be problematic. The positive exposure of the Canoe Journey, over the