It’s based on a tradition that’s thousands of years old. For the Shinnecock Nation, paddling is about culture, survival, and self-preservation.
On Tuesday, June 8, Southampton Arts Center presented a Traditional Indigenous Eco-Therapy Tuktu Paddle Tour with the Shinnecock Nation and Blossom Sustainable Development. The program was part of SAC’s show “EARTH – Artists as Activists.” Shinnecock’s Shane Weeks guided the tour.
Weeks — whose traditional name is Bizhiki Nibauit, which means Standing Buffalo — is a traditional singer, dancer, artists, and cultural consultant dedicated to his community. He represents Shinnecock in a number of ways, including his involvement with Southampton Town Arts and Culture Committee, Watermill Center Community Fellowship, Shinnecock Nation Natural Resources Committee, Graves Protection Warriors Society, Southampton Town / Shinnecock Nation Cultural Heritage Stewardship Committee, and more.
His mission is to “bridge the gap between his community of Shinnecock, the local community, and communities abroad.”
Throughout the tour, paddlers were able to experience aboriginal Shinnecock waterways from the Shinnecock perspective. Weeks presented facts about the local waters, vegetation, and wildlife as it relates to the preservation of the Shinnecock culture. The two-hour tour also included a short hike across Meadow Lane to the ocean.
“In the old way, life was simple and good for the spirit. As we reclaim our history, we spread that news and spread that education to others,” said Gerrod Smith, the founder of the Tuktu Paddle Tours, on the Tuktu PT website.
All of the proceeds from the tours go to Blossom Sustainable Development, which was established to “empower Shinnecock families to live healthy, sustainable lives based on self-care, cultural pride, and traditional knowledge.”
Some of these programs include canoe and horticulture lessons for Project Venture youth, a free canoe club for Shinnecock residents, and a shuttle bus for Shinnecock seniors.
The goal of Blossom is to help those attain the peace and calm through nature, which, according to its website, has been shown to “reduce the effects of anxiety, by promoting a state of calm alertness.”
