Swinomish Tribe holds annual Blessing of the Fleet

The Swinomish Tribe held its annual Blessing of the Fleet last week. From Skagit Valley Herald‘s Friday paper:

More than 500 members of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and local residents gathered for the annual blessing of the tribe’s fishing fleet Thursday, kicking off the season with a seafood feast and offering.

Tribal members place the first four salmon caught every season, along with prawns and crab in baskets lined with cedar branches, and give them back to the sea as an offering. Members of the tribe’s extended Edwards family led a procession to a bank along the Swinomish Channel as four men carried the baskets of seafood.

“This is what it takes for the spirit to hear you,” said one tribal elder as she blessed the fishermen.