BLYN — Norway’s and Namibia’s ambassadors to the United States top a distinguished lineup of guests spanning three continents who have accepted invitations to speak at a Jan. 15 cultural-exchange event hosted by the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe.
Ambassadors Knut Vollebaek and Leonard Lipumbu will headline the “Nation to Nation Relationship” salmon and crab feed at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center in Blyn, featuring traditional drumming, dancing and talks on topics in common — fisheries-based natural-resources dependency key among them — during the four-hour event.
Representatives of the Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah and Quinault tribes, along with five other Northwest tribes, will also be part of the event, according to organizer Elaine Grinnell, a Sequim storyteller, basket and drum maker.
About 150 people will be at the invitation-only event.
Common topics
“We’ll be talking about fishing, natural resources, culture and education — the things we have in common,” Grinnell said.
Other confirmed guests include Svein Ludvigsen, a Norway cabinet minister for fisheries and coastal waters; Tom Vraaalsen, a special appointed United Nations peace negotiator to the Sudan from Norway; and Dr. Loren Anderson, president of Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland.
