Northerners train for tourism

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Chief Andy Carvill of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation sees many great opportunities on the horizon for the 700-plus members of his band of Tlingit/Tagish people.

"We are working quite diligently in the area of education, with students attending colleges or universities outside the Yukon as well as many working at career preparations here at home," he said.

"Tourism is already a big industry in this scenic area, with over 100,000 visitors last year, and we project that to increase. We need people trained in related careers, from business managers to entrepreneurs to lawyers," he added.

The Carcross/Tagish First Nation is planning a resort development and has consulted all parties concerned, from government in Ottawa to the Yukon College in nearby Whitehorse.

"If the resort goes ahead, the college wants to set up carpentry, plumbing, and electrician courses right here on site," he said. Cooking and food service management courses will be added later. "We want to set up a place for visitors, but create employment as well, and we also want to continue training our people with an on-site building which will run courses in the off-season."

A conference centre will add further possibilities for training and tourism alike, as the airstrip is located a 30-minute drive away.

Even younger students are getting a lot of attention and encouragement, said Carvill.

"On Nov. 8, the students in grades six, seven and eight will travel into the college to tour the campus and meet with Elders. We deal more hands-on with the local Yukon College campuses, which are found in every major town throughout the territory."

The college has been very good about meeting the individual needs of the communities it serves, Carvill said. Further post-secondary training is available through partnerships such as with Athabasca University.

Carcross already has the highest number of graduates from the high school in Whitehorse where students attend following Grade 9. "Once they've graduated, we work closely with them to further their education, in whatever area they are interested. We let them know of our needs for lawyers and negotiators for program transfers once the land claims are completed," Carvill explained.

The Yukon and federal governments are also major employers in the area in various positions.

With land claims settlement on the horizon, the need for healthy, educated people to work in all the offices and employment positions that will be possible as new projects are brought on-stream is obvious. Land claim ratification may come as soon as next spring.

Mark Wedge agrees. As chief negotiator for the Carcross First Nation, he sees an exciting future for all Yukon Aboriginal people. Several years ago a project called the Harvard Study showed economic development was most successful when First Nations have stable and recognized self-government and therefore have access and decision-making power over their own resources.

"A couple of years ago the Yukon First Nations reviewed these findings and applied them to the final agreements," Wedge said.

"One of the biggest projects we have undertaken in recent years was a return to our traditional clan system, which implemented our traditional form of governance. As a result, we have really stabilized our community," he said.

Tourism, mining, forestry, as well as opportunities with the new governance itself, were all looked at as possible projects.

"We decided to pursue tourism as we preferred to leave our non-renewable resources untouched and therefore rejected the other options. "Tourists today want to be involved, they are not passive sight-seers," he said. "If we participate we can better have a say in where tourists are allowed or invited to visit, and therefore have a lesser impact on our lands."

The resort idea has been developed jointly with the non-Aboriginal people in the Yukon and has been entitled The Four Valleys, with reference to traditional stories about the area, Wedgeexplained.

A lot of spin-offs will be felt within the community.

"Fishing expeditions and cultural tourism are just two obvious possibilities." As well, sacred and traditional artifacts need to be portrayed for the enjoyment of others, but in a respectful way where they are teaching visitors about Aboriginal heritage, Wedge said. This will create a position for a curator.

Carcross administrators are working with Yukon College to develop courses for their particular needs, so these courses may become accredited and offered regularly for all residents.

"We are beginning to develop the human resource component right now," said Wedge. "A high ratio of Carcross/Tagish First Nation members currently attends the College - a fact of which we are very proud. We are all experiencing great optimism and promise and these evolving plans give us a positive future. It is an exciting time indeed for our people."