Bob Gosse would like to see more involvement from governments in promoting aboriginal culture in the province but Tara Saunders says it’s already being worked on.
Gosse told Andrea Peddle, director of Tourism NL, following her presentation to the Go Western Newfoundland annual general meeting on Wednesday in Stephenville that Bay St. George is the cradle of aboriginal culture and should be better promoted.
The board member of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business and a senior associate with Wape’k Kuntew Aboriginal Consulting said there is not as much interest on the eastern portion of the province in promoting aboriginal culture as there is in the Bay St. George area.
Gosse had an ally on the subject in Joanann White of Flat Bay, who was also in attendance, who said tourism is one thing, but the aboriginal part of it is very different than tourism activity with non-aboriginal cultures.
She said there has been a reawakening of the culture in the past decade and people are interested in powwows, crafts, along with the Mi’kmaq tradition and history.
“We’re promoting our culture, we’re trying to preserve the culture, we have elders who can speak to it and it should be supported,” White said.
Peddle agreed aboriginal tourism could be very important to this province.
Saunders, another delegate at the meeting and a tourism development officer with Qalipu First Nation, said there is movement in that regard.
Saunders manages Experience Qalipu, which is a five-year tourism strategy that includes training initiatives for tourism operators and promotes tourism marketing.
She said she works in consultation with other tourism development officers located in Conne River, and in Northern and Southern Labrador.
Saunders said they have been working together under the umbrella of the Indigenous Association of Canada, which is focused on setting up a provincial organization for Indigenous tourism.
