More than 20 canoes are expected to land in Brinnon today between noon and 2 p.m. in a historic first visit during a tribal canoe journey of the Skokomish at the south end of Hood Canal to their neighbors at the north end.
The Skokomish will be joined by members of the South Puget Sound tribes — the Nisqually, the Chehalis and Squaxin Island — as the canoes come ashore on the beach next to Hjelvik’s Store just north of Brinnon for an overnight stop on their way to this year’s rendezvous at Suquamish on Port Madison Bay on Bainbridge Island.
Skokomish tribal members and Port of Port Townsend Commissioner Herb Beck, as well as a surprise greeter for the two canoes carrying members of a tribe from New Zealand, guests of the Skokomish — will be on hand to greet the pullers.
A potlatch will follow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Brinnon School.
Keith Beck, a Brinnon resident who has organized volunteers to help with the landing, said he is nervous but excited about the canoes coming to the town for the first time.
“We’re still all kind of scared as the time gets closer; we’re nervous because we want it to go well, but we think it will come together,” Beck said.
“One thing I can say for certain is that the town has come together to make this happen.”
Beck said that more than 20 volunteers organized the landing, found camping space for the tribes and agreed to cook meals for the potlatch.
In all, about 500 people are expected to eat and stay overnight in Brinnon.
“We’re all hoping it turns out good,” Beck said.
“We want this to be something they want to do every year, again and again.”
Meanwhile in Port Townsend, the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes are preparing to greet pullers at about 2 p.m. Saturday at the beach of Fort Worden State Park.
Those canoes are a different group. They will be pulled by Lower Elwha, Jamestown S’Klallam, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute and Makah tribal members, who traveled the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and tribal representatives from across the Strait in Canada.
The canoes traveling to Port Townsend stopped in Port Angeles on Wednesday and will stay overnight at Jamestown Beach on Friday.
Vickie Carroll, the canoe journey coordinator with Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, said the three bands are about welcoming the canoes ashore.
“The canoes will be landing at the beach around 2 p.m., and our elders will be there to welcome them,” she said.
“The pullers will camp on the parade grounds at Fort Worden and, while we’re not having any dinner or celebration, some of them will be getting together to sing and drum on their own.”
The canoes have traditionally stopped in Port Townsend along the shores of Point Hudson, but the change this year was made to provide more camping space for the pullers.
“We’re excited to have it at Fort Worden,” Carroll said.
“We always love coming to Port Townsend; we have had such support from the city, from the mayor on down.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
