Yukon conference focuses on First Nations cultural tourism

Hone Mihaka, who runs a tour company in New Zealand, admits that people in his Maori community used to be skeptical of tourism.

"Fifty years ago our culture was being exploited by tourism companies," Mihaka said. "Now that we have become more and more savvy with the tourism industry, we are starting to take control."

Mihaka is in Whitehorse this week to inspire Yukon first nations to similarly take control of a lucrative industry — aboriginal cultural tourism. He's a guest speaker at the "Sharing Our Stories" conference, organized by the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association.

The goal is to build the industry in Yukon while ensuring that indigenous communities benefit and are not "commodified."

"Our landscapes mean nothing to [tourists] unless we're there providing the stories of those cultural landscapes," Mihaka said. 

Ruth Massie, Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), agrees. 

"It is important that people know our story is the story of the Yukon," Massie said. Tourists, she said, "want the real deal when they visit."

Preserving, revitalizing culture

Recent Yukon government visitor surveys found 16 per cent of summer tourists "experienced Yukon First Nations culture or traditional ways," and 22 per cent rated First Nations culture as an "extremely important" factor in their travel plans.

Massie says First Nations communities are starting to see the opportunities.

"We have so much to offer, in storytelling, teaching our culture, and our history," Massie said. 

"[First Nations] are recognizing that the industry can help preserve and revitalize our past teaching, our language, our culture."

​The Sharing Our Stories conference continues today and wraps up on Friday.