Paddlers push off on a powerful voyage to reclaim Indigenous cultures across the Pacific Northwest. A flotilla of Indigenous canoes a hundred strong is converging along the Pacific Northwest coast as nations from Canada, the U.S. and beyond paddle hundreds of miles in ocean waters 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 on the 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.
The annual Tekakwitha Conference Opens With Calls To Protect Indigenous Women And Girls From Violence. Keynote speakers took the stage to address the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women at the 84th annual Tekakwitha Conference, held in Bloomington, Minnesota. The conference, which honors Indigenous Catholics’ spirituality and traditions, drew more than 300 people from across the United States, including two groups from Alaska.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.