NBK Sailors assist Port Gamble-S'Klallam Tribe with canoe landing

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Cory Asato | 160724-N-OO032-167 KINGSTON, Wash. (July 24, 2016) – Naval Base Kitsap Sailors hoist a tribal canoe, some weighed in excess of 1,500 pounds, out of the Puget Sound during a canoe landing hosted by the Port Gamble-S'klallam Tribe. The canoe landing was part of the Canoe Journey 2016 - Paddle to Nisqually, a heritage-rich event started in 1989, which features multiple tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest traveling via canoe to numerous tribal landing sites culminating in a landing in Olympia, Washington. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cory Asato/Released)  

KINGSTON, WA, UNITED STATES

07.24.2016

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory Asato 

Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Det. Northwest

KINGSTON, Wash. – Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Sailors hoisted tribal canoes ashore during a canoe landing hosted by the Port Gamble-S'klallam Tribe, July 24.

Thirty-one canoes, some weighed in excess of 1,500 pounds, were transported more than 100 feet during low tide at Point Julia.

It was the first time service members were at the event to witness and participate in the historic and culturally rich event according to tribal members.

“This was the first time our tribe has been gifted with help from the Navy,” said Laura Price, cultural resources, arts and history director at Port Gamble-S'klallam Tribe. “We are very grateful to the lending arms and it brings honor to our community.”

NBK also helped the Suquamish Tribe, known as the people of Chief Seattle, with another canoe landing, July 25.

“This was my first time doing anything with the local tribes,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Nicholas Gagner, a Diamondbar, California, native stationed with NBK. “It’s a great way to get out and be ambassadors for our Navy and experience the world in our own backyards.”

The canoe landings were part of the Canoe Journey 2016 - Paddle to Nisqually, a heritage-rich event started in 1989, which features multiple tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest traveling via canoe to numerous tribal landing sites culminating in a landing in Olympia, Washington.

“I’m so proud of the Sailors who are wanting to come out and give their time to build bonds with the community and enrich their understanding of the deep heritage around here,” said Master Chief Aircraft Maintenanceman Rozy R. Castellanos, a Worland, Wyoming, native stationed with NBK.

The event cycles through a different hosting tribe every year; an event that honors ancestors, each journey being historic according to tribal members.

“For some of the elders back in 1989, it was the first time in more than 100 years that a canoe had landed in some of their villages,” said Price. “The journey and landings bring cultural healing, a resurgence of songs, dances, stories, traditional food—rejuvenated culture.”

Encouraging Sailors to engage the community promotes the Chief of Naval Operation’s Diversity Vision: “…To maintain our warfighting edge, it is essential that our people be diverse in experience, background and ideas…”

For more information on the CNO’s Diversity and Inclusion, visit: http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/diversity/Pages/default2.aspx

• Date Taken: 07.24.2016
• Date Posted: 07.26.2016 11:23
• Story ID: 205081
• Location: KINGSTON, WA, US