Canoe racing, basketball, games: Swinomish Days offers it all

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch anymore.

Unless, of course, you’re willing to race canoes on Swinomish Channel all day in the August heat, often doing so while pulling against the current.

Canoe club members and elders braving the summer weather to watch the weekend races were treated Saturday to a free salmon luncheon prepared as part of the festive annual four-day Swinomish Days cultural celebration.

“We did about 400 pounds of salmon,” Marty Cladoosby, part of the fish cooks crew led by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Senator Eric Day, said afterward.

Admission to Swinomish Days likewise was free. The canoe races drew large numbers of spectators on both sides of the channel.

Weekend tourists on the town side marveled at the strength, stamina and speed displayed by the canoe teams.

“That has to be so tiring,” was a refrain repeated the length of the boardwalk.

Brian Porter, also a member of the Swinomish senate, said tribal racers were ready for the challenge.

“It takes a lot of training,” said Porter, who helped monitor the races. “It’s a daily thing for us.”

The work on the channel was just half of it. After each of the solo races, canoeists carried their beautifully stained and painted craft across sand and upland from the shoreline to the area near the cedar hat pavilions, making room for the next group of racers putting their canoes into the water.

The action was constant until mid-afternoon when a 45-minute break was taken to let the tide rise further.

Once the contests resumed announcer Michael Vendiola said the canoe teams, comprised primarily of youths, reflected “Native American athleticism.”

“We really have to give it up to these young people,” he said, “for keeping this way of life – being healthy and learning teamwork.”

Athleticism was also on display on the outdoor Swinomish basketball court where a three-on-three tournament was another popular event, drawing hoops players in several age divisions from around the region.

Across Snee-Oosh Road at John K. Bob Ball Park a carnival atmosphere prevailed complete with bouncy houses, children’s games, face painting, food and apparel vendors and arts and crafts.

Youth was honored as well with the crowning of Swinomish Days royalty. Those chosen wore colorful regalia highlighting Coast Salish traditions and heritage.

Nor were adults left out. Competitive stick games, involving both chance and strategy, were held inside the ballpark tents, generating wagers in keeping with their origins generations ago as a means of entertainment and peacefully settling disputes.

The 2010 Tulalip Battle of Nations Stick Game Tournament retains near legendary status, having attracted almost 200 teams that competed for a $30,000 first prize.

Swinomish Days, coordinated by tribal cultural events director Aurelia Bailey and her department, kicked off Thursday night with dinner and a coastal jam at the tribal smokehouse. The drumming and singing were clearly heard across the channel in La Conner, where Beaver Tales Coffee offered a discount on its espresso drinks in recognition of Swinomish Days.

As was the case during the recent Canoe Journey stopover at Swinomish, camp tents and RVs dotted the village from near Swadabs Park to above the John K. Bob venue as participants arrived from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including British ­Columbia.

Among the first sights that welcomed them was that of master artisan and former Swinomish Senator Kevin Paul carving a handsome miniature cedar canoe in his driveway.

“It’s something the kids can jump in and out of,” he said, “something that they can have fun with.”

Reflecting upon Swinomish Days, Paul noted. “It’s all for the youth,” then repeated: “It’s all for the youth.”

Yet, across its four days, Swinomish Days provided cause for celebration not only for the younger generation, but also among folks of all ages.