Indigenous paddlers push off on powerful voyage to reclaim canoe culture across Pacific Northwest

 By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A flotilla of Indigenous canoes a hundred strong is converging along the Pacific Northwest as nations from Canada, the U.S. and beyond paddle hundreds of kilometres in pursuit of shared objectives and a common destination. Paddlers from eight different canoes were hosted, fed and sheltered by the Stz’uminus First Nation near Ladysmith on Vancouver Island before launching Thursday on their first leg of the Tribal Journey, said Michelle Robinson, a member of the Klahoose Nation’s Tl’emtl’ems canoe family. The yearly summer event sees Indigenous people from across the West Coast make the voyages of their ancestors to reclaim and revitalize their cultures and traditions, and strengthen future generations, Robinson said. “It’s really powerful because a lot of our paddlers are on a healing…

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