The U.S. leg of the 2026 Canoe Journey, Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch, began on Wednesday, July 22, with a landing at Birch Bay State Park hosted by the Nooksack Indian Tribe.
Canoes were welcomed to the beachfront by the Nooksack people around 4:30 p.m. with traditional singing underscored by drums. A member from each canoe stood to ask permission to come ashore, and once they were permitted by Nooksack to land, the canoes were brought onto the beach.
As the late afternoon heat cooled into evening, people gathered for dinner and the coastal jam session with traditional singing and dancing.
This year’s canoe journey began on Thursday, July 16, in Lund, Canada, where the Tla’amin Nation welcomed the Klahoose First Nation and Homalco First Nation. It will continue down the Salish Sea to Sequalitchew Creek where the canoes will finally land on Friday, July 31, with over 100 canoes from Canada, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
First Nations and tribes — including Lummi Nation in Whatcom County and the Swinomish in Skagit County — along the way host landings, where canoe families can stop to eat, rest and share in cultural celebrations and traditions.
Once all the canoes have landed, the Nisqually Indian Tribe will host a potlatch, an Indigenous ceremony to celebrate significant events such as marriages or name-giving, which will take place from Friday, July 31, to Wednesday, Aug. 5. This includes protocol, a system of rules and traditions that recognize and uphold Indigenous teachings.
For more information on the Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch, visit nisqually-nsn.gov/heritage/Medicine_Creek_Potlatch_Journey.
