Creating an Indigenized visitor code of conduct: the development of Denesoline self-determination for sustainable tourism

ABSTRACT

The homeland of the Lutsel K'e Dene (Denesoline) spans the boreal forest and central sub-arctic tundra in Canada's northern territories. As a historically nomadic society, Denesoline are deeply connected to these vast landscapes sustaining migratory herds of caribou. Their ancestral territory includes one protected area (Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary) with another under negotiation (Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve), which, for nature-based tourists, are emblematic “wilderness” destinations. Despite transitioning to settlement lifestyles, Denesoline continue to assert their right to govern and manage the entirety of their territory. This includes communicating their expectations for responsible and sus-tainable tourism conduct. Drawing on community-based, participatory, and narrative methodologies, this paper reports a synthesis of stories told by Denesoline interview (n = 12) and workshop (n = 5) participants that relate to encounters with, and expectations for, visitors to their homeland. The paper argues that the culminating narrative reflects an “Indigenized visitor code of conduct”. These morally and culturally informed visitor guidelines assist in mobilizing Denesoline self-determination and auto-nomy in land governance. In addition to privileging Denesoline voices in matters of just and sustainable Indigenous tourism, the paper contributes contextually grounded insights that complement literatures on moral geographies of sustainable tourism, and could form a model of Indigenous tourism practice.

创建一个本土化游客行为准则：Denesoline对可持续旅游自决的发展

摘要 Lutsel K’e Dene（Denesoline）的故土跨越了加拿大北部地区的北方森林和中央亚北极区苔原。作为曾经历史上的游牧社会，Denesoline与这些在广阔的风景地貌持续迁徙的成群北美驯鹿紧密相连。他们祖先的领土包括一个保护区（塞隆野生动物保护区）和另一个正在谈判中的区域（Thaidene Nene国家公园保护区），对于自然观光游客来说，这些保护区是象征着“原野”的地方。尽管正在过渡到定居的生活方式，Denesoline仍在维护自身的权利去控制和管理其领土的完整性。这其中包括表达他们对有责任心的可持续旅游行为的期望。本文通过社区化、参与性的和叙述的方法报告了一个由Denesoline（n=12）讲述的合成故事，研讨会（n=5）的参与者则与他们家乡旅行者的期望和遭遇相关。本文探讨了最终叙述所反映的“本土化旅游游客的行为准则”，这些予以游客道德和文化上的指导帮助动员Denesoline自决以及治理自治领土。除了给予Denesoline在各种问题和可持续本土旅游上的特权，本文还提供了充分的观点来补充可持续旅游中道德地理的文献，并建立了土著旅游时间的模型。

KEYWORDS:

• Code of conduct
• Indigenous research
• narrative inquiry
• Arctic tourism
• Denesoline
• respect

关键词:

• 行为准则
• 本土化研究
• 叙事研究
• 北极旅游
• Denesoline
• 尊重

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the research participants for their contributions to this study. Thanks also to the Lutsel K'e Band Office, Mike Tollis, and Peter Unger for supporting this project. Thanks also to the anonymous reviewers and Bernard Lane for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Polar Commission's Northern Scientific Training Program, and the University of Waterloo for providing funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Allison P. Holmes

Allison P. Holmes completed a Master of Arts in tourism policy and planning at the University of Waterloo. She is currently a PhD student in geography at the University of Ottawa where she is examining change and adaptation in Arctic Canada. Her research interests include tourism ethics, Indigenous research, climate change adaptation, and economic development.

Bryan S.R. Grimwood

Bryan S.R. Grimwood is an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. His research explores human–nature relationships and advocates social justice and sustainability in contexts of tourism, cultural livelihoods, and environmental learning and management.

Lauren J. King

Lauren J. King is a PhD candidate in the School of Environment and Resource Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. Her research and teaching interests include protected area planning and management, co-governance, and Indigenous-led conservation. She is currently manager of the Wildlife Lands and Environment Department in Lutsel K'e, NWT.

Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation is situated on the East Arm of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The Lutsel K'e Wildlife, Lands, and Environment Committee are representatives designated by the Lutsel K'e Chief and Council to provide administrative and intellectual contributions to the research reported in this paper.