||| FROM DAVID TURNOY ||| UPDATED ARTICLE
Last May we had the honor of hosting a Native American Canoe Journey on Orcas, and we have this opportunity again this year. Several Native American canoes will arrive at the Olga dock on Wednesday, May 24, at about 3:00 PM. There will be a welcoming ceremony, then our guests will proceed up the road and around the corner to the property of Sandy and Uuve Taylor, just above Buck Bay. After getting situated, they will head back partway the way they came to the Olga Community Club. There will be a community potluck dinner for them at about 5:00, in which we hope you will participate. Then starting around 6:00, there will be an evening program referred to as “Protocol”, which is open to everyone. We can’t have a fire at the Club, so after Protocol, for those who want to attend, there will be a fire outside on the Taylor property. You will want to bring your own chair.
As mentioned, dinner will be around 5:00, so if you are bringing a dish, you would want to start arriving by 4:30. My wife Geri will be coordinating the total list of potluck items being contributed. To provide some structure, we will have a variety of categories you can choose from to donate to the potluck. Those categories will be salads, breads, entrees, drinks, and desserts. You can choose one or more of these options, but please remember that we as the Orcas community will be not only providing for our guests but also providing for ourselves. Along with whatever potluck dish you bring, please also provide a small card that identifies the ingredients so we can prevent problems with folks who have allergies.
Once you have decided on what you would like to provide, please contact Geri with that information. You can contact her by email at davidgeri@rockisland.com or by text at 503-548-7845. Please leave your name and your contact information and the item(s) you will be providing. Please respond by Saturday, May 20. If you have any questions, please contact Geri. We are hoping for nice weather so that the event may be outside as well as inside. If at all possible, please bring a portable table and chairs for yourself, as we expect you to join us for dinner. We are looking forward to showing our guests our island hospitality.
From Freddie Lane of the Lummi: We are so honored to be hosting the 3rd Annual Esqalph etse Kwelengsen ‘Gathering of the Eagles,’ — a mini-canoe journey, potlatch and strategy session with the Alliance of Earth, Sky & Water Protectors, May 21-29, 2023. We conclude with a potlatch-style gathering of food, ceremony and strategy sessions uniting indigenous communities from throughout the world on the growing climate crisis. Last year, we hosted (over) three-canoes, 1,100 participants and 25-indigenous tribes and First Nations over 9-days throughout the islands and here at Lummi. Our plan is to continue with awareness campaigns and training opportunities, uniting grass root organizers in protecting Mother Earth. Our motto for 2023: “Celebrating Intergenerational Cultural Heritage.”
We hope you can join us! If you can help financially, you can donate through Friends of the San Juans at sanjuans.org. Please be sure to specify that your money is to go to the Orcas part of the journey. Donations through Friends are tax-deductible.
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