# Willapa Waves: Five Days of Stories with Our Neighbors

- Link: https://quintin.blog/2026/10/25/willapa-waves-five-days-of-stories-with-our-neighbors/
- Published: 2026-10-25T22:55:34-07:00
- Author: Quintin Swanson

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

![Workshop participants from three Tribes gathered on a sunny deck by the bay](https://
i0.wp.com/quintin.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/willapa-waves-workshop-group.jpg?
resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1)

Participants from Shoalwater Bay, the Chinook Indian Nation and The Chehalis Tribe.

## 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.

![A row of virtual reality headsets and controllers lined up on a table](https://
i0.wp.com/quintin.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/willapa-waves-vr-headsets.jpg?
resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1)

Headsets ready for everyone to step inside the films.

## 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

![Five participants holding gifts from the exchange: a carved orca, a painted mask,
feathers and a Shoalwater Bay dream catcher](https://i0.wp.com/quintin.blog/wp-content/
uploads/2026/11/willapa-waves-gift-exchange-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1)

Carvings, a mask, feathers and a Shoalwater Bay dream catcher were shared during
the exchange.

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.

### Share this:

 * [  X ](https://quintin.blog/2026/10/25/willapa-waves-five-days-of-stories-with-our-neighbors/?share=twitter)
 * [  Facebook ](https://quintin.blog/2026/10/25/willapa-waves-five-days-of-stories-with-our-neighbors/?share=facebook)

### Like this:

Like Loading…