27
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
Indigenous 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.summersolsticefestivals.ca).
Farther south at the Six Nations reserve near
Brantford, visitors can stop at the Chiefs-
wood 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.tourisme
wendake.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
Lennox Island, take home more than
memories: make a traditional Mi'kmaq hand
drum, create a birchbark art piece with
porcupine quills or prepare Bannock cooked
in the sand while listening to stories of
traditional life on Lennox Island
(www.lennoxisland.com).
New Brunswick invites guests to partici-
pate in Indigenous festivals and learn more
about the province's First Nations by
partying along the powwow trail all summer.
Discover traditional artefacts and practices
at Metepenagiag Heritage Park, which
houses a prehistoric Mi'kmaq village with
displays of archeological findings that
provide glimpses into ancient times. The
Augustine Mound, a cemetery dating back
beyond 600 BC, adds to the mystery and
history (www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/
indigenous).
Across the bay in Nova Scotia, Elders
share stories about creation at the
Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre
(www.wagmatcook.com). And in
Membertou, just outside of Sydney, the
Mi'kmaq Medicine Walk is an educational
stroll through the medicinal practices used
by their ancestors. It includes a dream
catcher workshop and the breaking of
traditional luskinikn bread (www.member
toutcc.com).
Less than two hours from Halifax,
connect further with the Mi'kmaq by joining
a guided cultural program at Kejimkujik
National Park. This starts with viewing some
of the 500 petroglyphs they created
centuries ago. Then witness the ancient
craft of birchbark canoe-building in person
with Todd Labrador and a Parks Canada
Interpreter at work (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/
kejimkujik).
Experience the rugged north with
P.O. Box 190 Moose Factory, ON P0L 1W0
1-705-658-2733 • moosecree.com
• Offering Camping • Snowshoeing • James Bay boat tours
• Island tours • Traditional cooking with the Cree
