Canoe Journey is a Native American traditional canoe gathering that takes place along the northwest Pacific coast. Each year a different Tribe hosts the Canoe Journey. This year the Puyallup Tribe is hosting. The name is "Power Paddle to Puyallup" and their theme is "Honoring our Medicine." Canoe Families from Tribes all around the region are paddling along traditional routes, stopping at Tribal landings along the way for rest, sharing meals, and protocol. On July 28 Canoe Families will be welcomed ashore at the Puyallup Canoe Journey Landing followed with a week of sharing songs, dance, meals, and protocol. From Bill Sterud, Puyallup Tribal Chairman: "...Reclaiming our traditions is a commitment we practice every day to make sure that our children, and their children, can enjoy these waters after we are gone. Today, the tips of our canoes touch the sand of beaches polluted by chemicals from upstream contamination. These same pollutants poison our tide flats and seep into our shellfish beds. Just like tribes across the nation, we live with the result of declining fish supply as salmon habitat gets degraded and salmon passage is blocked by roads. With every new development, like the Liquid Natural Gas plant, we are faced with a battle to protect our waters, our lifeforce, and our medicine. We gather with our fellow tribes during the journey to honor and celebrate our shared bond. We are all working to preserve the ways, lands, and waters of our ancestors. And we do this because it is sacred to us." Click here to read Bill Sterud's full statement: https://bit.ly/2uTz1vw Follow the Power Paddle to the Puyallup Canoe Journey here with schedules, tracking maps, photographs, and more: https://bit.ly/2LFxpwI