Significance Of Bringing Back The Sacred Canoe Journey

Student Name Course Instructor Date The Sacred Canoe Journey The indigenous people in America have been victimized and marginalized for many years. Their traditional ways of life has been termed as primitive because of their embracement of nature and natural resources. Most of these indigenous tribes lived along the coastlines and in the forest where they survived by the bountiful gifts of the creator. The Indian tribe of Pullayab for instance, attributed their healthy and happy lives to the abundance of natural resources in their settlement around Mount Tacoma. They lived freely and without the current worries in today’s world where individuals have to hustle their way through life and there are a lot of demands and pressures put on them such as mortgage payments, school fees and rent among others. However, over the years and mostly through the forced adoption of the western cultures that was considered superior; the indigenous people have lost most of their traditions and cultures. They were even at one point prevented from practicing their religious beliefs because it was believed that they were engaging in pagane and heathenism practices. Nonetheless, time has passed and America has become more liberal with equal rights for all individuals regardless of ethnicity and as a result, the indigenous people have begun measures to celebrate and appreciate their traditional ways of life. One such attempt is the sacred canoe journey where the different indigenous tribes paddle their cedar canoes on the coastline in spiritual and cultural unity. The sacred canoe journey was readopted in 1989 when 13 traditional cedar canoes paddled along the west coast from Washington State to Seattle and marked 100 years since the last similar voyage. Ever since, more people have joined in the movement with reports indicating that over 100 canoes participate in the annual “tribal journeys”. These tribal journeys...