Photos Christi Baron

Students from the Quileute Tribal School perform the 18th annual Welcoming the Whale ceremony at First Beach in La Push on Friday. Under sunny skies and before a large crowd, the event honored the gray whales spring migration with traditional songs, dances, and offerings — a tradition begun by the Quileute Tribe in 2007. While no whales appeared during the ceremony, their passage through Quileute waters is part of their annual journey between Mexico and the Arctic.

After the dances and songs were performed four students carried the salmon offering into the surf.