News
2008
October 20, 2008 -
What Byways Mean To Tribes
I received a great e-mail from an Our Native Pathways: Byway Opportunites for Indian Tribes workshop participant, and I wanted to share her insight with you:
“Actually, I think the program does make a difference, a significant difference. The ability to tell your story, to engage visitors on your terms, to present your history and describe your place in the landscape and as part of the landscape is healing. To make your voice heard adds to the sense of authenticity not only for the visitors but affirms your own experience/existence now and through time. For so many peoples consigned to the margins of history and current culture, to speak out with a strong and compelling story and to be heard are each acts of healing.”
-Kathleen Fischer, Planning and Community Development Department, Yurok Tribe, Klamath, California
Kathleen attended one of the Our Native Pathways workshops the Resource Center developed as an effort to conduct effective and comprehensive outreach to Indian tribal governments throughout the nation. The project was funded through a partnership with the US Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. Core elements of the project were to organize three regional meetings with an agenda that included presentations on the National Scenic Byways Program by key national and regional byway leaders, a panel presentation on what it means to designate and maintain a byway and a training by a nationally recognized expert on cross cultural communications who addressed how to build external partnerships in pursuit of byway programs. More than 60 Tribal governments were represented at the three workshops.
If you have questions about how to establish a Tribal byways program or participate in an existing byway, please contact Scott Sufficool.
Please check out these great organizations that we are working with to continue our outreach efforts into Indian Country.
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association ~ We participated in their annual conference last month by organizing a mobile workshop of the Northwest Passage All American Road with the Nez Perce Tribe, National Park Service and the Northern Idaho Tourism Association.
Western States Tourism Policy Council Conference ~ December 2-4, 2008 in New Mexico. We are organizing a mobile workshop of the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway.
National Tribal Transportation Conference ~ November 10-13, 2008 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
National Congress of the American Indian ~ October 19-24, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona
Michelle Johnson
Director
