Orcas Island Historical Museums fundraiser screening of documentary ‘Sacred Journeys’

The Orcas Island Historical Museum is pleased to announce “Sacred Journeys,” an evening of film and information on tribal journeys by canoe, featuring Sharon Kinley, director of the Coast Salish Institute at Northwest Indian College, and a showing of the film “Glwa: Resurgence of the Ocean Going Canoe.” The event is at 3 p.m. at the Sea View Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 11. This fundraiser supports both capacity building at the museums for crosscultural events and the upcoming “Sacred Journeys” traveling exhibit on ancient canoe culture and today’s canoe resurgence.

The film’s website says, “Tribal Canoe Journeys is an annual indigenous cultural gathering on the Northwest Pacific Coast. Over the last three decades, the gathering helped the Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, B.C. heal from intergenerational traumas and revitalize their culture, which was nearly lost as a result of colonialism and the Residential School system. Since its unofficial beginning in 1986, the gathering has grown and now involves hundreds of canoes and thousands of participants paddling to different host communities all the way from Alaska to Oregon.

“Glwa: Resurgence of the Ocean-Going Canoe” follows Frank Brown and a group of Heiltsuk youth as they paddle down the coast of Washington State to honor the invitation of ancestral groups of the Nisqually Tribe for Tribal Journeys 2016. Over a period of twelve days, the journey helped youth learn and revitalize their cultural songs, dances, stories, language, teachings, and other traditions. On the journey, youth also reconnected with the natural environment and with other coastal Indigenous Nations, and began to reverse intergenerational trauma.”

Tickets are $25 for non-museum members and $20 for members. The price includes appetizers. Get tickets at the historical museum, from orcasmuseums.org or call 360-376-4849.