Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/1471704
29 "We see examples from coast to coast to coast of Indigenous People using tourism as a means to share their thriving and vibrant culture with international visitors." Despite the pandemic and ongoing challenges, there is a continued demand for Indigenous experiences. Across Canada, there are approximately 1,900 Indigenous tourism businesses. These enterprises provide the economic backbone for their communities across the country while sharing authentic, memorable and enriching experiences with international travellers (www.indigenoustourism.ca). WEST On the turbulent shores of the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia is the Great Bear Rainforest, the world's largest intact temperate rainforest. Just a stone's throw across the water is the base camp for Coastal Rainforest Safaris, where guests can reach out and touch nature—and benefit from cultural interpretation by an Elder and hereditary chief of the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw First Nation (www.whalesandbears.ca). Just 116 km (72 mi.) north of Edmonton is Métis Crossing, Alberta's first major Métis cultural interpretive centre. The centre engages in the learning of Métis art, paddling an authentic voyageur canoe and dancing the traditional Métis jig (www.metis crossing.org). At the museum in Fort McLeod, Alberta, visitors can view First Nations artefacts such as clothing and accessories, baskets, travois and hand tools. Nearby, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump, recalls the days when Blackfoot warriors augmented their communities' food supplies by driving plains bison over the cliff to their deaths and processing the meat (www.headsmashedin.ca). CENTRAL The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, aims to effect positive change by raising the public's understanding of human rights, promoting respect for others and encouraging global dialogue about the issues. Set in a field of sweetgrass at the Forks of Manitoba's Red River, the building's architecture evokes ice, clouds and stone. Using the elements of this design, an Indigenous Elder leads the Mikinak-Keya Spirit Tour, sharing the sacred teachings of the Anishinaabe, Cree and Dakota Nations (www.humanrights.ca). Saskatchewan's Northern Plains People offer transformative experiences at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just outside of Saskatoon. Monthly Han Wi Moon dinners feature guided tours of the 6,400-year-old Indigenous Tourism: Telling Their Stories Their Way BY E. LISA MOSES HERITAGE PARK HISTORICAL VILLAGE, CALGARY, AB • TRAVEL AB/COLIN WAY Whether you dream about soaring with eagles, paddling with fish or howling with wolves, Canada's Indigenous tourism industry has it all—and then some. "Indigenous People today are not stuck in the past or in museums, but rather practicing and sharing their culture with the world," says Keith Henry, President and CEO, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).