黑料福利社

ABOARD THE EMERALD CLIPPER 鈥� Guests lined up to try dandelion root shortbread cookies, bold coffees and ros茅 from Greywing Cellars as the cruise got humming and Seattle鈥檚 waterfront faded into the distance.听

The journey began in Elliott Bay, or as it was traditionally known as x虒史蓹l膷. Owen Oliver, the lead tour guide, explained. x虒史蓹l膷 said aloud mimics the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, and it is the word for saltwater for Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people.听

Oliver (Quinault/Isleta Pueblo) has navigated these waters by canoe many times, but on this day he led a special cruise exploring how the first people and languages of the region are intertwined with the lands, waters and wildlife. It鈥檚 a full sensory experience that roots visitors in the first stories of the Salish Sea through plant medicines and foods of the region.听

And, with a little luck, whales, as this is the first Indigenous-led whale watching tour out of Seattle.听

As the city held center stage as a World Cup host, and the U.S. marked its 250th, Taproot Travel Co., a Native-led company, wanted to test out these tours,

鈥淚t originated from a desire to tell a truer and more authentic story of the Salish Sea,鈥� said Savannah Romero with Taproot Travel, 鈥渙ne that honors and uplifts its Indigenous people and the people who have lived here since time immemorial.鈥�

It's also an opportunity to deepen public understanding of Native knowledge and contemporary Native life, said Valerie Segrest, CEO of Old Growth Solutions, the parent company of Taproot Travel Co. "We're not just people of the past," she said, "we're still here and we remain an active part of the environment, the economy, our communities and the future."

The pilot, and will end July 21. It will offer sailings on the next two Tuesdays for about $140. Organizers hope the program can return in the future.

This is part of a boom in Indigenous-led tours around the region. Soon, there will be historical tours of the San Juan Islands, led by Jay Julius, Xw'tolhem, a citizen of Lummi Nation. To the east, Stacia Morfin leads Nez Perce Tourism, which offers 听

Taproot also offers an near Seattle, as well as curated itineraries to navigate the city. They plan to branch into additional tours and cities soon.

鈥淲e see these beautiful stories of the land and of the people who hold that stewardship,鈥� said Segrest, a member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. 鈥淲e really want to provide an opportunity for people to step into it, take it all in fully, and hopefully leave feeling some deeper sense of understanding.鈥澨�

Aboard the Clipper

A snow-capped taq史u蕯ma蕯, the mother of all water, also known as Mount Rainier, loomed as barges, sailboats and other vessels navigated Seattle鈥檚 waters on the late June cruise. The captain pursued reports of whales near Tulalip.

From the glaciers and snow of taq史u蕯ma蕯 and the Cascades spill the area rivers, unfurling in vast tideflats where they meet the saltwater. Seattle鈥檚 waterfront was all tideflats before. Oliver explained how Coast Salish people would gather clams, flounder and crab among the abundant eelgrass.听

Stories that spanned millennia unfolded in the landscape as Oliver spoke. From 拧il拧ul, or Shilshole, the threading through place, to centuries-old cedar providing for seaworthy hand-carved canoes and antibacterial, antipest longhouse homes.听

Oliver guided guests through narratives of village sites and early encounters with settlers. He touched on the place where a treaty signed in 1855 underpins much of Northwest life and 听

On board the Clipper, cookies from by chef Lynette Pflueger and coffee from are just a few of the to buy.听

Along the journey, Oliver and Xack Fischer, a naturalist with the Clipper, worked to scout and identify sealife in the area.

A puff of mist broke the shimmering water鈥檚 surface as a gray whale came into focus. Dozens of people crowded onto the top deck. The Lushootseed name for gray whale is 膷蓹x史蓹lu蕯, Oliver said.

Oliver wove an Indigenous history that shaped the region with the stewardship and knowledge that continues today, while Elizabeth Campbell, of Old Growth Solutions, prepared rose mint and nettle teas to serve. She brought the plants as teaching tools.听

Nettle has plentiful health benefits, said Campbell, a citizen of the Spokane Tribe and a Native plants educator and herbalist, with phytonutrients that help relax muscles and support liver function.

It also teaches us to pay attention, Campbell said. The tiny hairs produce an acid that can give a slight sting, which can be removed with the spores on the back of a sword fern.听听听

Seattle resident Andrea Wagner, Yup'ik, felt it was important to see Indigenous storytelling and knowledge get the spotlight it deserves. 鈥淚t was seeing how the stories, the food, waters, wildlife and the people are all interconnected,鈥� Wagner, who attended the tour, said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the beauty of our culture.鈥�

Bridgett and Todd Johnson, from Kentucky, joined the cruise during their 30th wedding anniversary trip. There was no better way, Bridgett said, to experience the Northwest than hearing it from Indigenous people whose relationships span thousands of years.听

Opportunities to experience these tours led by Native people in the Northwest have been growing. According to the there was a 228% increase in Indigenous-owned tourism firms from 2017 to 2020.听

Around the region

In a weeklong journey for a college course through Saq谩nma, today known as Hells Canyon, along the border between Oregon and Idaho, Stacia Morfin couldn鈥檛 help but think about her ancestors and their precolonial way of life. It was a perspective that was missing from the many tours along the Columbia and Snake rivers.

It was time, Morfin said, 鈥渢o take our voice back and share our perspectives from our own people who have thousands of years of accumulated knowledge, connection to land, tradition and culture.鈥� Tourism is not about re-creating the past, Morfin said, it is about introducing visitors to a culture that never disappeared.

She founded Nez Perce Tourism in 2018, which offers custom-curated cultural experiences based out of Lewiston, Idaho. Nimiipuu guides take people deep into their ancestral lands and waters, 鈥渂eyond scenic viewpoints and into a living cultural landscape,鈥� Morfin said. She often works with guests to build an itinerary before they arrive, including historical and cultural stops along their drive before they reach Lewiston.听

Tours start at $25 per child or $40 per adult. Guests travel through Saq谩nma by jet boat, visit cultural sites, share meals and learn directly from Nimiipuu cultural ambassadors, Morfin explained.

鈥淭hrough our legends, there's cultural values that tell you how to treat people, tell you how to think about yourself, tell you how to look at the land as our mother and not as a resource, but rather a life source that you are connected to,鈥� Morfin said.听

The tours provide an opportunity to uplift Native artists and guides, preserve language and strengthen cultural identity.

As soon as this summer, Jay Julius from the Lummi Nation plans to begin historical tours of the San Juan Islands called Salish Sea Journeys. The educational tours would combine stories of the first families of this place with sightseeing and wildlife viewing. They鈥檒l depart from Friday Harbor, near Julius and his family own.听

As efforts are underway to reclaim traditional place names of these ancestral lands, there鈥檚 an opportunity to bring visitors and locals in to experience this deep culture and history, Julius said. Julius鈥� traditional name was passed down through his family from Swalex, today known as Orcas Island.听

鈥淲e have an opportunity to maintain being on the Salish Sea and on the water as our ancestors were for eight, nine months out of the year,鈥� Julius said, 鈥渁nd to tell our story.鈥澨�

Additional opportunities in the Northwest include wildlife watching and cultural tours based out of Vancouver Island, B.C., and fly-fishing on the Warm Springs Reservation.