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Chapter 8: The Attractions Sector
Source: Steps to Success, Vol.3, No.1 (Nov 1999) Cultural Training in Indian Law for National Parks Interpretative Guides …A course developed for the National Park Service is designed to improve park/tribal relations and ultimately to improve the quality of park educational programs regarding American Indian histories and cultures. Key words: United States, parks, training, cultural history, legal, educational programs, interpretative guides, tribal relationships, aboriginal tourism
Visitor education is a vital element in the National Park System in the United States. Education programs (referred to within the National Park Service as visitor interpretative programs) are designed to ensure that visitors, now and in the future, will experience and learn from the unique history and character of each park. With over 386 million recreational visitors to the nation’s 384 park units throughout the country (1998 figures), the combined interpretative programs of the National Park Service can be seen as one of the world’s largest classrooms for the education of tourists from around the world. A significant aspect of many park interpretative programs is the history of American Indian peoples who once lived in and used the area now set aside as a park. Domestic and international visitors alike bring with them a strong interest in American Indian history. Although parks are often set aside to preserve the natural wonders of a given place, the cultural history is important, too, because almost every park in the system was once used and/or occupied by American Indian peoples. Since many visitors request information about American Indians, park interpretative programs strive to provide them with accurate information. Through ongoing efforts, Indian peoples want to improve the education programs in parks by having stereotypes of Indian peoples and cultures removed and replaced with a more accurate picture of Indian history and contemporary Indian life. As part of this effort, the National Park Service has instituted a course in the history of Indian law and tribal relationships with the federal government, titled: American Indians and Cultural and Natural Resources Management: The Law and Practice Relating to Federal Lands Service. Since it was developed as an interagency course for federal land managers and cultural and natural resource management specialists, many Federal Agencies and Bureaus from the United States Department of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Defence were partners in helping put on the course and in sending students. This training course is designed to provide detailed information to federal agency staff to more accurately inform them about the contents and history of
American Indian law and the consequential federal responsibilities towards American Indian resources on Indian lands and on non-Indian federal lands. As a by-product, it contributes to education programs for the visitor. IMPLEMENTATION: The three day course was originally coordinated through the Denver Service Centre of the National Park Service. The course materials, curricula, and class presentations were developed and presented by Dr. Raymond Cross (from the University of Montana Law School) with the assistance of a team of law students. Key individuals from each of the partnering agencies were involved in planning the course, including tribal liaisons. Formal participation by tribes in the course was accomplished by inviting tribal members to become course participants. Class sessions consist of both lectures and ‘workgroups’ in the morning and afternoon. The lectures are on the principles of Indian law to provide participants with some familiarity with the language and purpose of specific treaties, laws, presidential executive orders, and court cases. Each lecture is followed by a breakout session, as the class is broken into workgroups (about 15 in each) in which a real management issue or problem is discussed. Discussion focuses on the application of knowledge gained in the morning session (these sessions are facilitated by law students from the University of Montana and by a federal employee familiar with the issue at hand). The purpose of the afternoon session is to apply the law in ways that find satisfactory resolutions to the given problem before the conflicting parties reach court. All workgroups are given the same issues to resolve, and, during the last hour of the day, individual groups present the solutions they find to resolve the problem. If there is time, Dr. Cross will provide the actual outcome. Group dinners and other activities are held in the evening (at Yellowstone there were various tours provided). This year the Eastern Shoshone Tribe hosted a picnic on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming. On the last day, the entire group participates in a round table covering some of the issues that arose during the course. This is also a good time to collect course evaluations and suggestions on course improvements for the following year. Last year it was during this session that many representatives from tribes and agencies offered to serve as host for the following year. The course targets personnel in all federal land managing agencies and is voluntary for all. Participants in the course have included employees from the United States Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Bureaus of Reclamation, Land Management, and Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the Departments of Defence, Energy, and the Interior. To date, response has been positive and there are more people wanting to participate than slots available to take the course. In addition, the course is also attended by representatives of tribes throughout the western and eastern United States. Tribal members have been very receptive to partaking and hosting the course and it is important to note that tribal members are involved not only as students, but as teaching resources (facilitators, coordinators, knowledgeable agency employees, etc.). The course content consists of an overview of the history and development of Indian law in the United States and an analysis of important legal cases from the 18th century to the present that shaped federal Indian policies. Each agency partner contacts tribes that they consult with on a regular basis to notify them of an upcoming course. This will change as time goes on and a more formal notification of tribal participation will no doubt replace the present system. The costs for this first year were covered by a grant from the National Park Service. These grants are normally provided for only one year to get training
programs off the ground, or to test new ideas in training. The grant covered participant tuition, contracting services for the University of Montana, and Yellowstone National Park expenses in hosting the course. Some tribal
representatives were also provided with their travel and living expenses. Future courses will be supported through tuition charges to the agency participants. RESULTS: The first course was limited to 80 participants. This number was kept small during the first year as course providers experimented with different methods of adult education. At times, sessions involving lectures to the whole group provided grounding in the history of relations between tribes and the federal government. At other times, participants were broken into small discussion groups in which Indian and federal agent roles were reversed while discussing cases involving conflicts. A lot of ‘second guessing’ goes on - especially among agency employees who know how the system works and doesn't work. The problems they are given are recent controversies - real ones, renamed. They know they are real, but few have the knowledge of how the conclusion came to be. That is, they may know the outcome since they are familiar with the issue, but they often don't know the process by which the outcome was reached. The process of getting to the end result is often the most important aspect of the discussions. Attending agency personnel and tribal representatives brought along reports regarding contemporary or ongoing conflicts between tribes and agencies thereby allowing discussion to ensue on current matters at hand. The small number of participants made a combination of these approaches possible, and enabled agency and tribal representatives to get to know one another on a more personal level: a vital element when cross-cultural conflicts are involved. Although the primary purpose of the course is to make government land management personnel more aware of Indian history and lifeways, the ultimate purpose is to improve agency relations with tribal peoples and to affect the quality and quantity of interpretation and education programs offered to the public. Since the course is only in its second year, it is difficult to assess its success in making such changes. Following completion of the first and second sessions in Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming, the course contents and its delivery were evaluated by the participants themselves. Dr. Stephen Pevar, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union based in Denver, Colorado, joined Dr. Ray Cross to assist in the course instruction and was included in the instructional evaluation. The students were given an evaluation sheet to fill out at the end of the course and there was also time for verbal discussion of what should have been done differently - or done better. Suggestions for improvements or changes to the course resulting from this assessment will be incorporated into future courses. One suggestion already implemented will be the joint hosting of the course by Indian Tribal Offices and partnering federal agencies whereby a few agencies work together and provide staff, space, time, and material support to make the course happen. Plans made to hold the course on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming, during the week of September 20, 1999, were successfully carried out. The course was jointly hosted by the Eastern Shoshone Tribe via its Business Council and the United States Forest Service. A long term goal of the course is to affect changes in the National Park Service (and other agency) interpretative and public education programs to benefit the
park tourist. Since these programs are periodically evaluated, redesigned, and changed, it is hoped that participants in these intensive courses will make changes that improve the accuracy of information - and remove
stereotypes - about American Indians for a substantial portion of the 286 million plus visitors to the National Park System each year. WTTC Human Resource Centre COMMENT: Recent years have seen an increased desire from visitors to United States national parks to learn more about American Indian history and culture. This increase
has been paralleled by an increase in activism by American Indian peoples to ensure that information about their past and contemporary cultural lives is honestly and accurately provided to the visitor. Changes to the National
Park System’s public education programs in parks need to be reviewed and upgraded to remove old cultural stereotypes and improve the accuracy of information provided to park visitors. This pilot course is attempting to do this.
Chapter 8 Suggested Web Sites: 1. Canadian Heritage All Canadians are affected daily, directly or indirectly, by the efforts of Canadian Heritage. The government department, its programs, and the agencies and corporations which are part of the Canadian Heritage portfolio, contribute to the growth and development of Canadian cultural and sporting life, the promotion of a fairer, more equitable society, and the nation's linguistic duality, and multicultural character. Although these national policies and programs are designed to maintain Canada's cultural sovereignty and promote Canadian identity, Canada’s art galleries and museums of historical, scientific, or artistic nature are attractions. They are an important part of most guests itineraries and sometimes the main focus of a trip! Visit the Arts & Heritage link and find the listing of Canada’s national arts and heritage institutions.
In addition to preserving Canada’s parks, the Parks Canada web site has links to national programs which many would say are attractions in themselves. These
include: National Historic Sites; Federal Heritage Buildings; and Heritage Railway Stations. 3. Canadian World Heritage Sites The cultural and natural heritage of a nation is one of its priceless possessions. This heritage is irreplaceable and any loss or serious impairment of it is a
tragedy, not only for the nation concerned, but for humanity in general. The United Nations Environmental (UNESCO) recognizes that the world's cultural and natural heritage transcends national boundaries and must be preserved
for future generations. Within Canada, there are 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are popular visitor attractions in each of the provinces/territories that they preside. 4. Canadian Museums A listing of all museums within Canada are located on MuseumLink's Museum of Museums. The objective of MuseumLink's Museum of Museums is to eventually contain
links to every museum on the planet, from the world's largest to the most obscure (assuming they have a web site). The assistant curator of Canada’s Museum of Civilization MuseumLink's maintains the Canadian links pages.
MuseumLink prefers to let museums speak for themselves, therefore all official web sites are listed in preference to third-party sites whenever possible, with the occasional exception of dual listings. 5. Canadian Museums Association (CMA) The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum community. CMA unites, represents, and serves
museums and museum workers across Canada. The association is governed by an elected Board of Directors and many of its activities are organized by an extensive series of committees and special interest groups. Its association
members are non-profit
museums, art galleries, science centres, aquaria, archives, sports halls of fame, artist-run centres, zoos, and historic sites across Canada, ranging from large metropolitan galleries to small community museums. All are dedicated to preserving and presenting our cultural heritage to the public. There are more than 2,300 museums and related institutions in Canada which are visited each year, by more than 55 million visitors. A further 60 million guests visit our historic and natural parks. Visit their web site to find out more about the museum community in Canada. The CMA web site also has a direct link to the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) at <http://daryl.chin.gc.ca/Museums/English/index.html>. CHIN is the Special Operating Agency within the federal department of Canadian Heritage that collaborates with the heritage community and other parties to provide heritage services for Canadians on-line. This electronic gateway to Canada's rich cultural and natural heritage, CHIN offers services of interest to national and international on-line visitors, to museums, libraries, schools, colleges, universities, communities, and the tourist industry.
6. Heritage Canada Foundation The Heritage Canada Foundation was founded in 1973 to protect and promote this country's built, natural, historic, and scenic heritage. Heritage Canada's role
is to foster and encourage the understanding, protection and sustainable evolution of the cultural landscape, in particular of the architectural heritage of that landscape. Check out this charitable organization’s web site to
find out the services it provides, resources, Heritage Canada Awards Programs, publications, and policy issues. 7. The Historic District of Quebec Among UNESCO’s 13 Canadian world heritage sites is the historic district of Quebec. Close to half the buildings in the historic quarter of Québec City were
built before 1850. Some date back to the era of New France, two to within a few years of the founding of the city by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Although the city itself has grown into a modern metropolis of some 600,000
people, the historic quarter, covering 135 hectares (about five percent of the city total) remains among the most coherent of such areas in North America. Moreover, Québec is unique among cities on the continent in having
retained almost all its fortifications, and la vieille capitale may claim for itself the honour of being the only walled city in North America. The historic district of Quebec and the Old Town Lunenburg in Nova Scotia both
stand out among Canada’s other world sites as they were built at the hands a mankind. 8. West Edmonton Mall At 5.3 million square feet, West Edmonton Mall is the largest, most comprehensive indoor shopping, and entertainment complex in the world as well as Alberta's
#1 tourist attraction. Millions of visitors come from around the world to visit this mall. The mall features: over 800 stores and services; more than 110 restaurants and kiosks; the world's largest indoor amusement park; the
world's largest indoor waterpark; an NHL-size ice arena; four seaworthy submarines in the world's largest indoor man-made lake; dolphin shows; an exact replica of the Santa Maria ship; a miniature golf course; 26 movie
theatres; and a Las Vegas style casino. Open 365 days a year, the mall markets itself as a vacation resort in itself. Visit the web site and see how megamalls are part of the attractions sector of the Canadian tourism industry.
9. Royal Tyrrell Museum The Royal Tyrrell Museum is where paleontology comes alive! This museum located in Drumheller, Alberta is a popular attraction for young and old alike. Visit the links to The Fun Zone, Exhibits, What’s Hot, School Programs, Public Programs, Research and Resources.
Every summer, on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, the award-winning Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival delights visitors to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan. This ensemble of six to seven core actors have worked together for many years as a true ensemble, and play both large or small parts as the occasion demands. This renowned annual event is known for its
contemporary approach to Shakespeare by making his works relevant in current context. One of the many Canadian attractions is live entertainment. Visit this web site and find out why Attractions Canada votes Shakespeare on the
Saskatchewan Festival as one of its Just Stay Home contest destinations! 11. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was established on 16th of November 1945. It is headquartered in Paris, France and has 72 field offices and units in different parts of the world. The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture, and communication. To fulfill its mandate, UNESCO performs five principal functions: prospective studies; the advancement, transfer, and sharing of knowledge; standard-setting action; expertise; and the exchange of specialized information.
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