Pulling Together canoe journey
The Pulling Together canoe journey is an annual voyage that brings together Indigenous Peoples, public service agencies and youth on an multi-day canoe journey through the traditional ocean highways along the coast of British Columbia. It helps to strengthen relations, foster reconciliation, teamwork, empathy and mutual respect as all participants “pull together” towards a common goal.
Transcript
Pulling Together canoe journey
Dave Loop, Conservation and Protection, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pulling Together canoe journey is a journey that’s been going on for, ah, 19 years now. It’s between regulatory and policing agencies and First Nations communities.
What this does is it allows for a collaboration opportunity outside of the boardroom setting. So we can use traditional knowledge, we can use shared values, we can seek common resolutions to common issues that both the department and First Nations may have with the fisheries resources.
The Awakening ceremony signifies the beginning of the canoe season amongst the West Coast canoe culture. We look towards the First Nations to guide us through this and what it is essentially is it’s just a blessing of the canoe, an acknowledgement for safety, ah, throughout the year, for all its participants that will be in there.
It’s more than moving the canoe from point A to point B. The real magic is around the dinner table, around the fire pit, ah, where those conversations take place, from person to person, rather from institution to Nation.
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