By Katie Manzanares

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe welcomed Canoe Families to Muckleshoot homelands in July as they made their way south during the 2026 Canoe Journey.

77 Canoe arrived at Alki Beach on July 29 before traveling to Muckleshoot, where the Tribe hosted dinner, camping and a Coastal Jam at the community center.

Vendors were set up throughout as families gathered for an evening of songs, dancing, food and time together. Many camped overnight before getting an early start the next morning to continue the Journey south.

For many families, the next stop was the Puyallup landing as they continued toward the final destination at Nisqually.

Muckleshoot members participated throughout this year's Journey, including the Muckleshoot Canoe Family and Black River Canoe Family.

Canoe Journey brings Tribal communities together along the waterways of the Salish Sea and continues traditions that have connected Indigenous people for generations.

At each stop, Canoe Families follow traditional protocol by approaching the shore and asking permission to come ashore. Those traveling in the canoes are referred to as pullers because of the pulling motion used with the paddle.

The modern Canoe Journey was sparked by the Paddle to Seattle in 1989 as part of Washington state's centennial celebration. Since then, Canoe Journey has grown to include more than 100 canoes and Canoe Families from Native American tribes, First Nations, Alaska Native communities and other Indigenous cultures from around the world.

Canoe Journey is about more than traveling from one destination to another. Families travel long distances along ancestral waterways, stopping in Tribal communities along the way. Host nations provide meals and a place to gather, while families share prayers, drumming, songs, dances, gifts and cultural teachings.

This year's Journey ended in Nisqually, where the Nisqually Indian Tribe hosted the 2026 Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch from July 31 through Aug. 5.

The theme, "Healing Through Our Waters by Honoring Our Ancestors," reflected the importance of the water, culture and teachings that continue to connect generations.

It had been 10 years since Nisqually last hosted Canoe Journey in 2016.

Following the final landing, Canoe Families gathered for five days of potlatch and protocol, continuing the tradition of sharing songs, dances, prayers, gifts and teachings with one another. Late on the evening of Aug. 4 the Black River Canoe family took the floor, following on the afternoon of Aug. 5, the Muckleshoot Canoe Family took the floor at Nisqually, sharing songs and dances as part of the 2026 Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch.

Their time on the floor marked another part of Muckleshoot's participation in this year's Canoe Journey, from welcoming hundreds of Canoe Families to Muckleshoot homelands for dinner, camping and Coastal Jam to continuing the Journey south to Nisqually.

For Muckleshoot, this year's Canoe Journey was an opportunity to both welcome Canoe Families to Muckleshoot homelands and continue the Journey alongside them.

From hundreds of people gathering for dinner, camping and Coastal Jam to Muckleshoot pullers continuing south and the Muckleshoot Canoe Family taking the floor at Nisqually, the Journey brought together culture, community and generations.

Canoe Journey continues to provide a place for Tribal communities to reconnect, share culture and carry teachings forward for the generations to come.