PORT ANGELES — The Paddle Journey of 21 Native American canoes trekking from Puget Sound to Vancouver Island pauses today to rest, repair some canoes and honor tribal ancestors.
Canoe skippers decided late Tuesday night — just hours after the canoes landed at Hollywood Beach after a rigorous, five-hour pull from Jamestown — that they will rest today in Port Angeles, then depart for Canada on Thursday, one day later than planned.
Several of the canoes will enter Port Angeles Harbor this afternoon to the site of the Hood Canal Bridge graving yard, where archeologists and Lower Elwha Klallam tribal members are excavating artifacts and remains from a 1,700-year-old Klallam village.
The land will then be turned into a huge onshore dry dock for the construction of floating-bridge components for the new east half of the Hood Canal Bridge, to be installed in 2007.
The canoeists will sing songs and say prayers for the ancestors, the community and the workers of the graving yard, said Frances G. Charles, Lower Elwha Klallam tribal chairwoman.
400 watch landing
The canoes, which began last week on Puget Sound and visited Port Townsend on Sunday, arrived at Hollywood Beach late Tuesday afternoon after a five-hour paddle from Jamestown Beach, north of Sequim.
A crowd of about 400 people applauded as canoes arrived offshore to be greeted by Lower Elwha Klallam tribal officials.
“It is an awesome sight to see the canoes and makes me so happy,” said Lower Elwha Klallam tribal elder Dolores Langland.
“It is exciting to witness and gives us joy and peace. It is wonderful to see our youth out on the water.”
The drug- and alcohol-free Paddle Journey moves north to the Vancouver Island coastline on Thursday and continues until Aug. 4, when canoes reach Kulleet Bay.
Chemainus First Nation, which is hosting this year’s journey at Kulleet, on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, is expected to welcome 100 canoes from 60 different tribal nations.
