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 Indigenous
Peoples. There are 24 rooms and suites and
Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just outside of
Saskatoon. Monthly Han Wi Moon dinners
feature guided tours of the 6,400-year-old
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
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 Québec City, enjoy Indigenous
culture from the authentic four-star Hôtel-
Musée Premières Nations, complete with
25
WARRIOR WOMEN RETREAT IN JASPER, AB • INDIGENOUS TOURISM ALBERTA
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
