Blue Lightning Canoe Family

Carrying Forward Ancestral Teachings Across the Salish Sea

The Blue Lightning Canoe Family is a Lummi Nation–affiliated group that participates in the annual Tribal Canoe Journey. Formerly known as the Blackhawk Dancers, they share cultural teachings through traditional performances and community events in the Bellingham, Washington area. Their name, “Blue Lightning,” is connected to the swaq̓ʷsəb canoe – meaning “lightning” – which features a blue lightning bolt symbol associated with a Puyallup family, reflecting deep ties to traditional values and community strength.

About the Blue Lightning Canoe Family

• Cultural Group: a Lummi Nation–connected performing group from Washington’s northern coast, formerly the Blackhawk Dancers.

• Activities: active participants in the Tribal Canoe Journey and regional cultural gatherings, where they share ceremonial songs, dances, and stories rooted in the Salish Sea.

• Community Role: they engage the Bellingham community through cultural performances and by hosting traditional events.

• Canoe Journey Significance: their participation reflects a commitment to ancestral teachings, community building, and carrying forward intergenerational practices.

• Name Origin: the name “Blue Lightning” comes from the blue lightning bolt marking on the swaq̓ʷsəb canoe, symbolizing cultural identity, family lineage, and connection to nature.

• The Canoe: the swaq̓ʷsəb canoe embodies personal and cultural significance, representing the deep relationship Indigenous families maintain with canoe traditions.

The Blue Lightning Canoe Family perform tribal dance and sing at cultural festivals and community celebrations.

Among the all the many forms of art that have been inspired by the Native American people, dance is, perhaps, one of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring of them all. To the average visitor or non-native person, Native American dances may seem like simple steps, hops, and jumps, that essentially keep rhythm with the beat of the drum. But in reality, these dances are so much more than that. Dance is a way of expression, a language in itself. They tell stories, and they are used as a medium for prayer and each dance has its own significant meaning in Native American culture.

Historically, dancing was a way to promote community interaction. Round dances were a way of introducing guests, tribes, and clans. Other types of dances were done to celebrate events such as harvest or seasonal changes, marriages, and inter-tribal meetings. Celebrations and gatherings would last for days, with dance, feasts and storytelling.

Contact for Performances

For booking or scheduling The Blue Lightning Canoe Family, please reach out to:

Solomon Lawrence

📞 360-922-4970

📩 Solomon_ld@yahoo.com

The Lummi people share their language, songs, and dances.

“Haytaluk understood the power of story and performance. So in the early 1900s he created a dance and storytelling group that took performances on the road. This enabled them to share their language, songs, and dances with the newcomers. He named it “The Children of the Setting Sun.” Their stories and dances reached people all through the Northwest. It was a positive way to remind them who the Lummi people were and what they stood for: to invite unity.”

– Darrell Hillaire shares of Haytaluk, Lummi Nation ancestor