The Ktunaxa Nation is helping expand indigenous tourism while also branding the region, offering insight into their rich history.
The initiative is moving forward thanks to the $ $86,025 grant from the BC Rural Dividend they have received last week.
Business Development Officer and more recently in charge of Tourism and Engagement, Janice Alpine said they will be working in conjunction with the Ministry of Highways and BC parks as well as Kootenay Rockies Tourism and Destination BC. The aim is to include Ktunaxa Nation culture in tourism and get signage up in parks and highways, highlighting traditional the names of areas.
“The Ktunaxa story and history had been missing in that process,” Said Alpine. “So we’re going to become a part of that overall, positioning the Kootenay region in BC and all of Canada.”
Alpine said she reached out to all Ktunaxa communities all the way up from Nakusp down to the Lower Kootenay Band to get locals versed with the tourism industry so that they may assist with existing tourism operators. She also shared one of the first steps being taken to re-brand the Kootenays.
“The area that we’ve always lived on, we’re referring to it as our homeland, opposed to the territory. We’re taking the politics out of this process. Because it’s telling our story, the people, and we want to work with our neighbours because we don’t even know our neighbours. We want to be able to have that relationship.”
According to Alpine, partnerships are being made which will propel the project so that it may be sustained well into the future.