The village of Queets is located on the northwest corner of our Olympic Peninsula, just off Highway 10 on the Quinault Reservation near the mouth of the Queets River. The Queets people have lived in the Queets River watershed since time immemorial, and traveled up and down the river and coast until the imposition of the allotment system confined the Queets population to the current village location. Tribal Elder Jean Ramos has been following this year’s Tribal Canoe Journey in real time and place, along the Journey’s coastal route. She calls us from the road to tell us all about this year’s event, which started with just a few Quinault and coastal tribal canoes in 1989 to a blossoming tribal participation from Oregon, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia’s and Canada’s First Nations, and even from our East Coast. Jean calls the final arrival of over 100 canoes to this year’s hosts, the Muckleshoot Tribe, “Epic!” The canoes will land with the tide at Fort Worden on July 25 for celebration and rest at the County Fairgrounds, before departing on July 26 as they head to their next tribal visit. Arrival to Muckleshoot is July 30, with Protocol from July 31 through August 5.
