Article Summary: Indigenous Ecotourism in Central British Columbia: The Potential for Building Capacity in the Tiazten ations

Territories I T!" Indigenous tourism is characterized as any tourism product or ser#ice that is o$ned or operated by nati#e peoples% In the context of indigenous ecotourism, tourism products and services refer to activities that focus on natural and cultural attractions within indigenous territories, and are planned, developed and managed by indigenous peoples. Ecotourism: a sustainable activity that is primarily focused on experiencing and learning about nature ethically managed to be low-impact, non-consumptive, and locally oriented. o Ecotourism as a concept in ambiguous, and has been interpreted to mean different things to different people. Indigenous Ecotourism: is an activity and enterprise focused on maintaining the natural and cultural integrity of the land and people where is it developed. hose in favour of indigenous involvement in tourism argue that, through the pro#ision of economic stability and the reinstatement of traditional cultural practices& indigenous people can achie#e self'determination and self'reliance% !evelopment of indigenous controlled tourism is expected to bring positive social and economic changes too. "ritics have argued that indigenous tourism is yet another form of cultural imperialism. #urthermore, tourism has proved to be disastrous to the indigenous communities.

In the "anadian context, given that indigenous peoples have lagged behind in economic development and face many social challenges, ecotourism appears to be a viable alternative. $roved to be a good alternative in north and central %ritish "olumbia and there are several notable examples of first nationsowned and operated tourism businesses. This study is important for t$o man reasons: &. he alarming scale and speed at which tourism is spreading into remote and peripheral areas, driven by the search for new destinations and mar'eting of things natural and unspoiled. (. $roblems of indigenous peoples, including those related to

tourism development, have been recognized at several international for a. Study Area Tlazten ation: a sub-tribe of the "arrier linguistic group of the !ene family inhabits )* registered Indian +eserve ,ands, spread over approximately -.-/ s0uare 'ilometer in a relatively pristine natural environment in central %". Carrier: European explorers gave the name to these people, after observing the widows carried the ashes of their deceased husbands during the period of mourning. he l1azt1en 2ation territory is situated on the Interior $lateau, bounded on the west by the "ost 3ountains, on the north by the 4mineca 3ountains and on the east by the +oc'y 3ountains. !ominated by the 5ub-boreal 5pruce biogeoclimatic zone he climate is continental, with long, cold winters6 summers are short with relatively long, warm days. he forests in the region provide a rich habitat for ungulates, furbearing animals as well as rodents. %ird life and streams and la'es are abundant. he ma7ority of l1azt1en people 8people by the edge of the bay9 reside in ) reserves: +elatively younger population compared with other similar communities in the region. (% Tache Is the largest community $ith )*( residents% +% Binche ,Pinche.% /uzche ,0rand !apids1% 2zitlaninli ,3iddle !i#er he traditional way of li'e of the "arrier people have been described elsewhere, while contemporary overview of the traditional livelihood of the carrier is found in #urness. :ildlife was, and still is, an important aspect of the l1azt1en livelihood 8woodland caribou, deer, el' and blac' bear were hunted extensively throughout the territory for their meat and hides and salmon were fished in the 5'eena and #raser rivers9. he contacts with the colonial settlers have had disastrous conse0uences for the l1azt1en people because of residential schools& ci#ilization and diseases such as small po4% After the arri#al of colonial settlers& the Tlazten incorporated the fur trade into their existing fishing and hunting economy. /eyoh: l1azt1en traditional territories are based on this concept

:hich means the resource area 8tapelines9 that belongs to a particular settlement or clan, and that serves as the material, cultural and spiritual basis for sustaining human life. The four clans are: &. %eaver (. %ear ;. #rog ). "aribou The Potlatch System: was declared illegal by the $otlatch law of &<<.6 it was repealed in &=.&. The Indian Act of (567: placed the l1azt1en people on reser#e lands& thus e4plicitly disa#o$ing their o$nership of their traditional territory, and with the passing of %ill &; by the >overnment of "anada, the %ritish "olumbia Indian ,ands 5ettlement ?ct further reduced the size of reserve lands. :ith changing national government policies toward indigenous peoples in "anada, which after the &=-/s began to be more reconciliatory, recognition of indigenous rights too' a ma7or step forward with the "omprehensive ,and "laims ?greement 8",?"s9 in @uebec and 2orthwest erritories, and in %" the 5upreme "ourt of "anada1s 7udgments in the case of 2isga1a nation. In %", the first native group to establish a tribal council was the 2isga1s in &=.., and they soon resumed the campaign for their land rights that had begun in the &<</s. In &=*=, the "arrier 5e'ani ribal "ouncil 8"5 "9 was formed, which represents eight central and northern "arrier bands including the l1azt1en, and has one of its bands with some 5e'ani members. 4ne of the outcomes of native activism during the &=*/s that is relevant to the l1azt1en was the granting of a Tree 8arm 9icense ,T89- in (:5+% he #, is the most secure form of tenure in the $rovince, and the only ma7or license, which grants e4clusi#e har#esting rights to a specific area. he #, granted the Tlazten ation a +)'year rene$able license $ith e4clusi#e right to har#est timber on )1&*** hectares of Pro#incial land. -A his was the first and up to this point the only, #, in %ritish "olumbia operated by a #irst 2ation, and as such represents a positive outcome of the

decades of native struggles against the government. oday while traditional economic activities such as trapping, hunting and fishing continue to be carried out by a number of band members6 the Tlazten predominant industry is forestry. l1azt1en active in the labour force are primarily seasonally employed in the forest industry with a much smaller portion spread out across the government, public and private service sector. he unemployment rate for l1azt1en is -/B, significantly higher for the provincial average. Erosion of confidence among community members because they lac' experience in training, education. 2eed to diversify their economic base, through ecotourism. his bac'ground indicates that all four essential elements of indigenous tourism ; habitat& history& heritage and handicrafts C are present in the l1azt1en territory, and have the potential to be developed as resources for indigenous tourism development. 3ethods he level of community support for the research pro7ect was very strong. $articular attention was paid to the sensitivity to cultural differences, which is why three l1azt1en research assistants were hired to help with the interview process, and only those willing to be involved in the pro7ect were interviewed. "omprehensive literature search on indigenous tourism was conducted. wo half-day wor'shops were held at the %and 4ffice in ache, the administrative centre of the l1azt1en 2ation, in 3ay and Duly (//&. hese wor'shops formed the basis for developing a research protocol, and identifying research assistants and 'ey informants. ? chec' list consisting of ;& 0uestions on various aspects of tourism development opportunities and constrains in the region was developed, and was use to interview all guide-outfitters between Danuary and #ebruary (//(. ? household survey of l1azt1en in ache was conducted during Danuary and #ebruary (//;. ? total &;. individuals were interviewed, out of which &(< survey forms were used for analysis, and are the focus of this paper.

<ousehold Sur#ey =uestionnaire he survey 0uestionnaire was six pages long, and contained (& 0uestions on various aspects of ecotourism. he second part contained (/ 0uestions: 0uestions &-; were related to respondent1s 'nowledge of potential ecotourism sites6 0uestions )-- solicited respondents interpretation of ecotourism and attitude towards tourism E" @uestions were both closed and open ended. he 0uestionnaire was initially designed as a male-survey6 however, it was assumed that the return rates were low, and that a face-to-face would be better. Eouse-to-house interviews, which were typically between ). and -/ min per interview. he proportion of male and female respondents was e0ual. Sur#ey !esults: Tlazten perspecti#es of ecotourism de#elopment heir responses indicate that the ma>ority of respondents #ie$ it as a form of tourism that in#ol#es $ildlife and nature& respects local culture and traditions& and creases >ob opportunities for local communities% *)B of the respondents also indicated that ecotourism may also involve traditional wildlife hunting, as it was argued that wildlife hunting and living off wildlife 8food, medicine, construction materials9 couldn1t be separated from #irst 2ations livelihood strategies. Ecotourism should allow sustainable extraction of wildlife resources. +esponses to negative environmental and social impacts were relatively low, which could imply that many respondents ac'nowledge that with the development of ecotourism negative impacts are bound to occur. Ecotourism was also seen as a community initiative in which community members are consulted, and involved, however6 fewer saw ecotourism as having a community-based management structure. Eighly significant proportion of respondents was in favour of ecotourism development. Eeld the opinion that there are significant natural and cultural resources appropriate for ecotourism development.

4verwhelming ma7ority answered positively to all nine 0uestions about general attitude towards ecotourism. )<B of respondents felt that ecotourism development would have a negative impact. =.B of the respondents indicated that ecotourism would be good for the community.

Potential sites for Ecotourism acti#ities !iscussion during two wor' shops focused on identifying potential ecotourism sites and activities Indications of preferred placed were areas around $iche and 5tuart ,a'es, 3iddle +iver and 5hass mountains @uestions regarding recreation activities, almost all respondents reffered to a combination of water-based and land-based recreation activities o "anoeing, hi'ing, camping, fishing, spelun'ing, guided hunting, wildlife watching, bird watching and boating was mentioned most often o $ossibility of developing tour focused on #irst 2ations cultural activities 5aid that organized trips could happen that would ta'e advantage of the propular recreation areas 4verall l1azt1en people were highly enthusiastic when tal'ing about local attractions and activities Percei#ed opportunities and constraints Dob and s'ill development, building partnerships, increased appreciation of l1azt1en 2ations culture, outlets to showcase art and crafts and cultural promotion- were the most cited opportunities o ?ttachments to wildlife, stewardship of natural heritage, youth leadership, cultural exchanges, self respect, craft promotion and alterative economic opportunities fre0uently mentioned Fnexpected results for constraints- total number of responses to 0uestions related about ecotourism restraints much lower than the opportunities o !id not consider the constraints to be very important o 3ost fre0uent was that most income from ecotourism might go to outsiders o 5easonal and low paying 7obs o Erosion of first nation values only came from ;( B of respondents

 5ome about impact on youth o .) B to water pollution but only (< B to wild life disturbance o *- B said certain areas had to be closed off and restrictions on certain types of activities Preferred ecotourism pro>ects ?ccess improvement and facility development were high priority o 3uch of the land does not have ade0uate networ' of roads etc. 3aintenance of historical trails #acility related pro7ects- portage, marina development, bed and brea'fast, visitor info center, native heritage center, boatsGcanoe rentals 5ite development-campsites, shelters, rest stops, viewpoints, signage, maps !espite age differences between the people thoughts on income and employment opportunities, community members had common perspective on ecotourism 3a7ority said they would prefer a community managed ecotourism to pre#ent indi#iduals from ta?ing ad#antage o 3anagement based on shared responsibilities o E=ual representation of elders and youth and adult members& ensuring balance </ B said they would offer their labor while )/ B said they would offer business and training s'ills 2iscussion 4ne of the most important findings is the reference to the continuation of traditional $ildlife hunting as part of their ecotourism strategy o 5harply contrasts existing norms of ecotourism in current literatures o %ut this ma'es sense, with indigenous societies ties with nature and the sustainable way to extract wildlife resources o his finding implies that the meaning of ecotourism greatly #aries bet$een indigenous communities around the $orld and needs to be considered Ecotourism principles that allow continuation of a traditional livelihood could offer a sense of economic, social, and cultural security o 2ot only secures them if ecotourism fails but competition from out outsiders will be limited too Eigh proportion of positive attitudes is unusual with this group

research shows that attitude with indigenous people vary a lot $roblems with outside mar'ets overstepping in indigenous lands 8hotels, golf courses etc.9 and also trying to protect indigenous cultures with our education or telling visitors about them !angers that indigenous people may become increasingly dependent on global tourism +emoteness and lac' of information and economic development strategies place first nations as a competitive disadvantage with other destinations 5tudy showed that l1azt1en could attract people from interested in wildlife, canoeing, and hi'ing and camping, story telling, guided hunting etc. ,imits could be that with the existence of ). tourism operators already that these areas of ecotourism are already filled o many ecotourism niches sprouting- disadvantage to pricing and mar'eting ?nd will indigenous cultures be able to sustain and 'eep up with other rural areas Economic reality of most indigenous cultures in %" is that most are unemployed, lac' education, trade s'ills, have low self esteem and limited 'nowledge on out side world o #rideres calls this Hculture of povertyI o 2eeds appropriate education through social, economic, psychological, and political empowerment Conclusion International conventions li'e Fnited 2ations convention or %iologicl !iversity recognize the need to protect and promote indigenous 'nowledge systems 3ost indigenous people believe they have the right to stop damaging tourism on their lands and have tourism alternatives 3ore recently tal's of a referendum have started to ta'e a definite direction, it should be recognised that resolution of complex issues ta'es time. strong need for s'ill development among the l1azt1en, which is crucial for their effective participation in planning, management and owner- ship issues 5imilarly, the private sector can facilitate the networ'ing, mar'eting and promotion of indigenous tourism products o essential step in strengthening l1azt1en1s decision-ma'ing, innovation and management capacity is to remove the barriers for funding and technical support from outside sources o %arriers such as lac' of training, education, operating funds

and control can hinder the potential for successful tourism ventures by #irst 2ations