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Journal of Ecotourism

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Introduction to the Special Issue on Aboriginal Ecotourism

Raynald Harvey Lemelin a; Sylvie Blangy bc a School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario b Laboratoire GESTER, Dpartement de Gographie, Universit de Montpellier III, France c Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

To cite this Article Lemelin, Raynald Harvey and Blangy, Sylvie(2009) 'Introduction to the Special Issue on Aboriginal

Ecotourism', Journal of Ecotourism, 8: 2, 77 81 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/14724040902730581 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14724040902730581

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Journal of Ecotourism Vol. 8, No. 2, June 2009, 7781

Introduction to the Special Issue on Aboriginal Ecotourism

Raynald Harvey Lemelina and Sylvie Blangyb,c
a b

School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario; Laboratoire GESTER, Departement de Geographie, Universite de Montpellier III, France; c Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada (In nal version received 7 January 2009)

The declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations in 2007 highlights the rights of all Indigenous Peoples to remain distinct while also promoting their full and effective participation in all matters concerning them (United Nations, 2007). This declaration provides a timely opportunity for researchers to assess the current state of Aboriginal ecotourism and to discuss to what extent communal needs are being addressed by scholarly research in this area. This special issue on Aboriginal ecotourism, in the Journal of Ecotourism, represents a selection from 23 international manuscripts. As a result of a critical and constructive review process, eight papers were judged suitable for publication and appear in this double issue. Special efforts encouraging concerted approaches between researchers and collaborators resulted in three of the eight articles featured being co-written with authors from the Sami nation, the Tlazten First Nation, and members of local communities in the Kelabit Highlands of Malaysia and the Kerayan Highlands of Indonesia. The other ve were written in collaboration with Indigenous partners or communities. Therefore, like Maher (this issue) in his review of the Butler and Hinch (2007) text, we recognize that further work is required in this area. However, it should also be noted that an increasing amount of information on ecotourism in the form of books, articles, workshops and conferences, research ndings, and websites are now available. This is indicative of a scholarly growth and methodological diversication in this particular subject area. Of particular importance to these changes are the new and upcoming voices in Aboriginal ecotourism, a number of which were used throughout the editing and writing processes of this special issue. Whether it is guiding, cultural festivals, or corroborees, aboriginal peoples have been central to tourism activities for centuries (Denzin, 2008; McLaren, 2003; Parsons, 1997, 2002). However, the rst scholarly work on the subject according to Notzke (2006) was Smiths (1977, 1989) inuential piece Host and Guests. But it was only in the 1990s when Butler and Hinchs (1996) seminal work was published that the term Indigenous tourism become a force in its own right (Notzke, 2006, p. 9). The book is often dened as the catalyst on Indigenous tourism research since it provided the rst

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Corresponding author. Email: harvey.lemelin@lakeheadu.ca

ISSN 1472-4049 print/ISSN 1747-7638 online # 2009 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/14724040902730581 http://www.informaworld.com

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comprehensive overview of Indigenous tourism issues across the world, addressing issues such as monitoring tourism impacts in Indigenous communities, the growth and diversication of Indigenous tourism, and the search for sustainable and equitable approaches to Indigenous tourism. In the mid-1990s, Zeppel was credited with being one of the rst authors to use the term Indigenous ecotourism in a published article. Since then, many books pertaining to Indigenous tourism Ryan and Aicken (2005), Johnston (2006), Notzke (2006), Zeppel (2006) have appeared. The book by Johnston (2006) and the second edition of the book by Butler and Hinch (2007) are also reviewed in this issue. These books along with several articles, book chapters, and research documents and the emergence of Aboriginal scholars in tourism and tourism-related research (Butler & Menzies, 2007; Carr, 2004; McAvoy, McDonald, & Carlson, 2003) compliment what is clearly an emerging scholastic trend in Aboriginal tourism and ecotourism. Given the growth in Aboriginal ecotourism and its potential impacts in communities, the authors deemed important to assess the current knowledge regarding Aboriginal ecotourism. This special issue on Aboriginal ecotourism in the Journal of Ecotourism features the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical research, and the development models from various inter-disciplinary backgrounds providing a greater understanding of Aboriginal ecotourism. The journey begins with an examination of modern technology and information dissemination in northern research in Canada by Stewart and Draper. In this study, experiences and challenges associated with reporting back the research results to three communities in northern Canada (Churchill, Manitoba, Cambridge Bay and Pond Inlet, both in Nunavut) are described. The authors argue that the reporting back of research results is a key component of working with and within communities, and is crucial in developing and maintaining meaningful research relationships in northern Canada, and elsewhere. Continuing along the northern theme is Muller and Huuvas examination of Sami ecotourism development in Sweden. The authors explain that while Sami culture is often promoted and marketed in ecotourism literature, very few Swedish Sami choose to make a living in ecotourism. Instead, ecotourism appears to be a complementary activity to reindeer herding. How ecotourism can compliment and hinder the mixed-traditional economies of northern communities is also discussed. Kutzner, Wright, and Starks collaborative empirical research effort between Tlazten Nation and the University of Northern British Columbia identify tourists preference for Aboriginal tourism products in Northern British Columbia. The results highlight the need for marketing diverse Aboriginal tourism attractions to attract repeat visitors and for offering an introductory experience to Aboriginal culture for rst time visitors in rural regions of Canada. Last, in our northern journey is a discussion by Dowsley which argues that Inuit-organized polar bear sport hunting in Nunavut, Canada contains numerous, if not all elements of ecotourism. Further, the incorporation of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, otherwise known as IQ or Indigenous knowledge with scientic knowledge in the management of polar bears, and the communal approach of conservation hunting generates signicant incomes for these northern communities while promoting important cultural exchange. Understanding the perspective of the Inuit regarding polar bear management and ecotourism is crucial, especially in the light of on-going discussions pertaining to climate change and its potential impacts on polar bears and Aboriginal communities located throughout the Arctic. Our journey then proceeded southward where Hitchner, Apu, Tarawe, Aran, and Yesaya describe the current state of community-based transboundary ecotourism in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia and in the Kerayan Highlands of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Protection, improved communication, increased promotion, equitable distribution of

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Journal of Ecotourism

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income generated from ecotourism, and complications arising from international border crossings by tourists and guides are interpreted by local participants as barriers and solutions to the success of the international Heart of Borneo (HoB) conservation initiative. Higgins-Desbiolless article highlights potential Aboriginal ecotourism opportunities such as those provided by the Camp Coorong in South Australia, to inform and educate non-Indigenous people about Indigenous values and worldviews. The last two articles highlight what Getz and Jamieson (1987) and Butler and Hinch (2007) concluded: there are no set of principles or strategies that can provide a universal guarantee of success in the context of Aboriginal ecotourism. The ethnographic piece by Clark illustrates how the Rripau Yidaki, a grassroots tourism business, dedicated to the craft and study of the didjeridu initiated, owned, and maintained by one Aboriginal family in the far north of Australia, while unconventional from most economic perspectives can serve as a model for encouraging grassroots ecotourism in other Indigenous communities without massive outside investment. The nal article by Smith, Scherrer, and Dowling, describes the impacts and potential cultural conicts emerging from the use of the coastal waterways of the Kimberley Region, in North West Australia. The study found that the issue of cultural and spiritual impacts at sites of Aboriginal signicance, coupled with issues of on-site visitor management, and a lack of consultation with traditional Aboriginal owners requires urgent attention, if these are to be managed properly and respectfully. What these articles, conducted from various disciplines and approaches, by researchers at various stages in their careers, illustrate is that creative research approaches blending qualitative and quantitative methodologies as well as new technologies, conducted in a collaborative and engaging fashion, can help to address many of the challenges associated with Aboriginal ecotourism. The book review section features the second edition of Tourism and Indigenous Peoples: Issue and implications by Butler and Hinch (2007), and Is the Sacred for Sale? Tourism and Indigenous Peoples by Johnston (2006). The books provide a good contrast since the former is indicative of empirical and theoretical approaches to the subject matter, while the latter is written from a pragmatic perspective. One of the challenges we faced in this special issue on Aboriginal ecotourism, is the selection of the word Aboriginal instead of Indigenous or other terms such as Native American Indian or Autochtone. Whatever be the selection of the terms, as the historian Dickason (2000), the Anishabek scholar Vizenor (1994) and the Kanienkehaka/Mohawk scholar Taiaiake (2005) suggest, all are foreign labels, fraught with geographical inaccuracies, mis-translations and pejoratives. For example, while the term Indian is recognized as originating in a case of mistaken identity, it has come to be widely accepted, particularly by many but not all (Inuit, Metis), of the original inhabitants of Turtle Island (North America). The trouble with that term, of course, is that it is also used for the people of India, who with some justication claim prior rights. Francophones in North America prefer to use the term Amerindien, which is specic to the Americas, or Autochtone, which translates as Aboriginal. First Nations is also commonly employed by Amerindian peoples in Canada, but not by Inuit or Metis peoples. Native has come to be widely used in some parts of Canada and the United States, but it is not accepted in all parts of the United States (and in some parts of Canada) on the grounds that anyone born in (a) country is a native, regardless of racial origin, nor does it apply to Aboriginal peoples living in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The word Indigenous as the recent UN declaration illustrates has been used to refer to specic groups of people dened by the criteria of ancestral territory, collective cultural conguration, and historical location in relation to other groups of people who may have reside

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in the same country for a few hundred years (Brantenberg, Hansen, & Minde, 1993). Often associated to the British Commonwealth, the term Aboriginal, while used in other countries, has largely become associated with the legally dened peoples in Canada (i.e., Indian, Inuit, Metis) and in Australia. For some scholars like Bishop (2005), Tuhiwai-Smith (2005), Taiaiake (2005), the terms Indigenous, Aboriginal, Indian, or First Nations are anglicized or distorted versions of words from other languages. These terms are reference points having no real bearing on any real meaning, except within a Euro-Canadian political-juridical context. So, in that sense, they can be used interchangeably. To some individuals, the term Aboriginal is the reclamation of ones identity, of ones traditional knowledge systems, of ones rights. It also serves as a reminder to federal governments of their responsibilities. To others, the term Aboriginal has created a backlash, especially with First Nations people who feel that the term unnecessarily generalizes the impacts of colonialism. For Anishabek leaders like Chief John Beaucage in Canada, it is actually offensive to hear the term Aboriginal used in reference to First Nation citizens since it implies an inappropriate and decontextualized reality where there is not one (Intercontinental Cry, 2008). First Nations in Canada such as the Inuit and the Metis are different, and these differences should be accepted and celebrated not homogenized within one term. As the co-editors for this special issue, we wanted to distinguish this work from the other works on Indigenous ecotourism; we acknowledge that the term Aboriginal may be offensive to some, and though some works from other countries are found in this issue, we also recognize that the selection of this term may have favoured works from Australia and Canada over other countries, but that was not our intention. We will however point out that Aboriginal is a legal term, and it is still one of the most recognizable terms associated with tourism and ecotourism. This is our rationale as to our selection of Aboriginal over Indigenous. What is clearly indicative of this discussion is that ecotourism is not apolitical, and if we could learn one lesson from this experience, it is that we should recognize the limits of these nomenclatures and ask how participants, whether they are Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, dene themselves. A good example is the term Tangata Whenua or people of the land, which is deemed as more appropriate than the term Maori, used in New Zealand and neighbouring islands. In North America, the Haudenosaunee, the People of the Longhouse, is more relevant than the Iroquois Confederacy or the Six Nations; Inuit and Anishabek are preferable to Eskimo and Ojibwa. If Aboriginal peoples are to become engaged in research and in ecotourism development projects, then we need to recognize the importance of labels and designations; this is not an exercise in semantics, but rather the development of capacity and the implementation of respect. It is also a key component in engaging Aboriginal peoples and researchers in processes that are contextually appropriate and empowering. This discussion along with the articles featured in this special issue indicate that there is a need for greater discussion and room for much more collaborative research between scientists (academics) and Aboriginal people in ecotourism. This special issue is our attempt at engaging in these discussions, while showcasing how collaborative research with Aboriginal communities can bridge these gaps, and make these voices heard. We are grateful for the persistence of the authors, the help of various anonymous referees in the review of the manuscripts, and the scholars we consulted for this discussion in the introduction. Special thanks to Dr. David Fennell, the editor of the Journal of Ecotourism, for without his support and general guidance through the publishing process, this special issue would never have come to fruition.

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