Willapa Waves: Five Days of Stories with Our Neighbors
Shoalwater, Chinook and Chehalis members spent five days with Agog learning 360-degree storytelling, made three immersive short films, and closed with a gift exchange.
From October 19 to 23, members of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, the Chinook Indian Nation and The Chehalis Tribe came together for five days of immersive storytelling, hosted by our Tribe and our partners at Agog: The Immersive Media Institute.
3
Tribes together
5
days, Oct. 19–23
3
immersive short films made
What We Did
Agog is a nonprofit that helps people use immersive media, like augmented reality and virtual reality, to build a better world. We met at the Tradewinds event center and the Georgetown meeting space, where participants learned to tell stories with 360-degree cameras and virtual reality.
By the end of the week, the group had made three immersive short films centered on cultural storytelling and Tribal sovereignty.
More Than a Workshop
My favorite part was watching the connection between our communities grow over the week. Participants got comfortable with one another, became emotionally invested in the stories, and left inspired by what this technology can do.
Building those bridges and relationships can provide a lot of good things.
Chairman Quintin Swanson
Immersive media can also help our advocacy. Being able to put someone right here, on our land and in our stories, is a powerful way to show why our relocation to higher ground matters.
A Gift Exchange Between Three Tribes
We closed the week with a gift exchange among the three Tribes, a way to honor one another and celebrate the cultures and ancestry we share.
Thank You
Thank you to Agog, the Chinook Indian Nation, The Chehalis Tribe, and every participant and family who took part. This gathering showed how storytelling can strengthen relationships, lift up Tribal voices, and help shape the future for generations to come. We plan to keep building on it.
Some photos by VA Davis Photography.