Canoe Ceremony - Auke Bay, Alaska

The Canoe Ceremony in Auke Bay, Alaska welcomes all of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes to begin Celebration 2022: Celebrating 10,000 Years of Cultural Survival.

These tribes have paddled and traveled more than 3 days on the inward passages to make their way to the ceremonial Auke Bay landing site. Tribal leaders lead ceremonies on the shores of the bay while each of the canoes passes them asking permission to come ashore.

The last part of the ceremony has all of the tribal canoes coming together as one people to the Auke Bay shore to begin the celebration. The rest of the celebrations moved to the Sealaska Heritage Organization in downtown Juneau, Alaska.

COVID prevented the last Celebration in 2000 and the virus has taken a large toll of these tribes. I overheard others in the crowd saying that more than 40 canoes use to join the Canoe Ceremony. Bob, Tim and I were honored to be able to witness and experience this ceremony.

Their culture survives. Their culture continues.