Sitkans send off ‘Ancestral Echoes’ canoe headed to Celebration

Sitka’s canoe is scheduled to arrive in Juneau on June 2, 2026. (Hope McKenney/KCAW)
More than 100 Sitkans gathered at the Starrigavan boat launch Thursday morning for a blessing and send-off of the “Ancestral Echoes” canoe, sponsored by the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, heading to Celebration in Juneau.
Paddles at the Starrigavan boat launch on May 28, 2026. (KCAW/McKenney)
Lingít elders Ed Peele and Harvey Kitka offered a blessing accompanied b