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area topped with mouth-watering Indigen-
ous meals of bison or fish and foraged
produce (www.wanuskewin.com).
At the southern end of James Bay sits a
former Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fur-
trading outpost in Moose Factory, Ontario.
Now a popular tourist stop, the original HBC
staff house is part of a national historic site
that commemorates the company's early
operations. The area is also home to the Cree
Cultural Interpretive Centre, where visitors
can learn about the fur-trading era through
displays of artefacts, furs and photographs.
Moose Cree Outdoor Discoveries and
Adventures adds boat tours, cooking
demonstrations and hunting and fishing
expeditions (www.moosecree.com).
EAST
The largest freshwater island in the world,
Manitoulin Island in Ontario, is home to six
Anishinaabe First Nations that provide a rich
cultural backdrop for tourists. One of these,
the Wiikwemkoong, hosts the Annual
Cultural Festival comprising one of North
America's longest-running powwows with
colourful dance competitions, Indigenous
cuisine and handmade arts and crafts. On
their Unceded Journey tour, learn about
historical treaties and awe-inspiring
legends, including Zhibzhii, the underwater
spirit (www.wiikwemkoong.ca).
In Ottawa, Ontario, the Summer Solstice
Festival is a four-day interactive arts festival
that attracts 50,000 annually. Highlights
include First Nations, Métis and Inuit
artists, powwow competitions, culinary
events and lots of family fun (www.ottawa
summersolstice.ca). Farther south at the
Six Nations reserve near Brantford, visitors
can stop at the Chiefswood National
Historic Site to tour the home of the
legendary E. Pauline Johnson, a mixed-race
Mohawk who helped define Canadian
literature. Across from the property, rent
canoes and paddle down the Grand River
(www.chiefswoodnhs.ca).
Within the vast province of Québec, there
are more than 190 uniquely enriching
opportunities to experience the protective
values of the Indigenous cultures and heritage
intertwining art, culture, gastronomy, nature
and adventure. Discover the variety of
customs and history transmitted by elders
from generation to generation, sharing a rich
culture of authentic, ancestral and contempo-
rary traditions (www.discoverindigenous
quebec.com).
Just outside of Québec City, enjoy Indigen-
ous culture from the authentic four-star
Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, complete
with indoor pool, fitness centre and dining
terrace overlooking the Akiawenrahk (St.
Charles River). Have a sleepover in a
longhouse, a symbol of family and the
legendary hospitality of these people.
Twenty-four new rooms and suites, lobby
and restaurant enhancements, as well as the
arrival of a new Michelin starred chef, Marc
de Passorio, will augment this experience
(www.tourismewendake.ca).
MARITIMES
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Torngat
Mountains Inuit-led Base Camp & Research
Station offers wildlife viewing reputedly
unlike anything in the world. This includes
adventurous treks such as Wolf and Caribou
Adventures (www.thetorngats.com). For
tamer pursuits, on Prince Edward Island's
GRAND RIVER "CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS" POW WOW, SIX NATIONS, ON • SHUTTERSTOCK/LISA TROWELL
INUIT COUPLE KISSING IN THE WAY INUIT DO, IN FRONT OF AN IGLOO, NUNAVIK, QC • ISABELLE DUBOIS
