Jared Fennell, a high school senior in Port Townsend, Wash., is working on a traditional baidarka – an Aleut seagoing kayak – that he plans to use in the 2010 Paddle Journey, an annual sea trip that traces ancestral trade routes along the Northwest coast. (See a video from last year’s journey, above)

The idea is to honor his grandmother, Maggie Fennell, who remembers hunting seal from a baidarka in Alaska as a girl.

Last year, Jared’s aunt Darcie Pacholl, started a group last year to revive interest in the heritage of urban Aleuts living in the Puget Sound area, according to this Peninsula Daily News story.

Called BRIDGE, for Building Respectful Interactions to Develop Goals for American Indian Elders and Youth, the group is designed to bridge the gap between generations of native people by sharing language, culture, beliefs and values.

The vessel is Jared’s senior project. He’ll use nylon fabric instead of sealskin, but is trying to stick to tradition as much as possible. When he embarks on the Paddle Journey, three generations of his family will be aboard.

Gwen Florio

Tags: Alaska Natives, Aleut, badairka, buffalo post, Building Respectful Interactions to Develop Goals for American Indian Elders and Youth, Native American news, Paddle Journey