Canoe Journey 2007. Paddle to Lummi. From July 30 to August 5th, 2007, the Lummi Nation of Bellingham, WA hosted their first Potlatch since 1937. It was an important and historic event, bringing significant pride and sense of accomplishment to a people whose culture have been, at times, suppressed and eroded over a century. The revival of the Potlatch tradition among the tribal communities of Pacific Northwest started in 1989 with the Paddle to Seattle. At that time, tribal members from different bands paddled to the Port of Seattle in nine traditional cedar dug-out canoes as part of the Washington State centennial celebration. One journeyed from as far as Bella Bella, Canada. This and a follow up Canoe Journey to Bella Bella in 1993 gathered tremendous interest and momentum among the coastal Tribes. And since 1997, the Canoe Journey has become a growing annual tradition, with different tribes hosting each year, and participants paddling often for 2-4 weeks from as far as the Aleutians and the Oregon Coast. In 2007, the Lummis hosted 68 canoe families and an estimated 60,000 participants in this historic event.