Empower Bangka Journey to Prepare for Tribal Canoe Journeys!

Greetings Kapwa / Beloved Community!

My name is jo love/speak cruz, and on behalf of Balik Sa Dagat Bangka Journey (BSDBJ), we send our hope, blessings, and solidarity during these times. For those of you who are new to Balik Sa Dagat Bangka Journey, welcome! It is wonderful to be connected and we look forward to building with you!

WHAT IS BANGKA JOURNEYS?

Balik sa Dagat (return to the sea) ~ Bangka (canoe) Journey entails the healing of our connection with our natural world. It is the canoe that literally and spiritually connects us with the land and forests as we take the trees and bamboo that will form our intentions. It is the canoe that connects us to the element of water and a renewed consciousness of our waterways; rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. It is the process of building the canoe that connected family – community – culture.

OUR CAMPAIGN

For the next 2 months (Friday, May 16 - Friday, July 16), our grassroots, volunteer-led organization will be campaigning to raise $10k, with a stretch goal of $20k, for a trailer, canoe repair, paddle-making, and housing the canoe for training. Our ultimate desire is to prepare our Bangka & Canoe Family to be a part of this year’s Canoe Journey: Paddle to Lower Elwha: ʔéʔɬx̣ʷaʔ nəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕ Strong People (July 21, 2025 – August 5, 2025) happening in Washington State.

We are calling in your gracious spirit of generosity (pagkakaloob!)! Every donation counts ~ from $5 to $500, we humbly appreciate your support with our whole hearts.

In this campaign, Bangka Journey will be sharing our story through bi-weekly updates which will include:

Update #1 - May 16: Our Vision

Update #2 - May 30: The Building of our Bangka & Canoe Family

Update #3 - June 13: Intercultural Community Building

Update #4 - June 27: Revitalizing Indigenous Skills, Knowledge & Practices (ISKP); representing our Ancestral Legacies

Final Update #5 - July 11 - Cultivating Future Generations

Our campaign will also be featured on our Instagram page @BalikSaDagatBangkaJourney so please follow us, like, and share our campaign with your family, friends, and community.

We are excited for you to learn more about Bangka Journeys and join the movement! We hope that our labor of love & reconnection with the earth, our ancestors, and indigenous communities here on Turtle Island, and worldwide inspires you as it does our Canoe Family.

Thank you so much for your consideration in supporting our campaign!

***Disclaimer*** We will be working hard to reach all of our goals in a timely manner, but this will be determined by the success of our fundraiser, as well as the readiness of our Bangka & Canoe Family to get in the water for Tribal Canoe Journeys in July 2025. The faster we reach our financial goals, the more time & resources we will have to get prepared. We thank you for understanding the nature of our sacred work. Pls. help us reach our goals!

Cover Video:

Journey to the Sea w/ Alexis Canillo | Human Patterning Podcast Ep. 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB-CVRmhlt4