PORT TOWNSEND — Canoes traveling in the 2012 Paddle to Squaxin came ashore at Fort Worden State Park on Thursday, with pullers greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.
Twenty-two canoes landed on the beach between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., though four got right back into the water to travel to the next stop on the journey, Port Gamble, and more may have landed later in the day.
Port Townsend does not have a resident tribe, so the three tribes of the Klallam nation — the Lower Elwha, Jamestown and Port Gamble — joined together to provide a warm welcome.
The annual journey — in which tribal members paddle canoes from their homes to that of the tribe hosting a weeklong potlatch — is a cultural revival in which Native Americans honor their heritage.
“This brings people from all over the Northwest,” said Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Chairman Ron Allen, who also was part of the welcoming party at Jamestown Beach on Wednesday.
“It’s a cultural festival that ends with the potlatch,” he said.
The potlatch this year will be hosted by the Squaxin Island tribe from July 30 to Aug. 5.
The day was filled with ceremony.
A puller on each boat asked permission to come ashore.
The greetings were warm and cordial.
Allen said about 600 to 700 people planned to camp at Fort Worden before traveling on to Port Gamble this morning.
Those camping include those traveling in each canoe — about 20 in each — while families travel between the locations by car carrying tents and food.
Canoes from the Pacific Northwest and Canada traveled to Port Townsend from the last stop at Jamestown Beach.
Among those taking part in the 2012 Canoe Journey were Queets, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, Makah, Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam tribes of the North Olympic Peninsula, as well as the Tla-o-qui-aht, Stz’uminus, Ahousaht and Tsartlip.
The approximately 100 people on the beach included Port Townsend residents, tourists and families along with those who greeted the travelers with song.
Among the greeters were members of the Jamestown S’Klallam summer friends camp, which included youths from 5 to 11 who sang traditional songs accompanied by their drums.
Another 100 people observed the event from the dock and the park as well as the bluff above the water.
The crowd was smaller than in past years, participants said.
“I honestly don’t know why there are fewer people this year,” Allen said.
“It’s all gone smoothly, and the weather has treated us well.”
This year’s Canoe Journey will end with a formal landing in Olympia on July 29, followed by a potlatch at Squaxin Island.
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
