Economic Development Community Services for Social Development Alternative Justice Preserving Our Cultural Identity

Economic Development

We realize that the viability of our future requires that we embark upon an appropriate and determined effort in the area of economic development. In this respect we are developing projects in the areas of service sector enterprises, sustainable forestry, and culture-based tourism. We have come to the realization that for our future to be secure it will be essential for us to secure the protection and recognition of our traditional access to the lands and resources within our traditional territory. Our capacity to sustain what we have accomplished until now requires it.

Harmony with the Environment Forest Resources Cultural Tourism Development of Community Crafts and Other Small Industries

Harmony with the Environment

When Europeans first came to North America it was the aboriginal peoples who taught them how to survive here. Without that help they would undoubtedly have perished. It seems to be our fate as aboriginal people to once again teach non-aboriginal people how to live in this environment, in harmony with it and not in conflict with it. Of course this time the stakes are very high. If we do not heed the lessons of examples which show how to build communities without destroying nature, and heed them very well, then the continuation of large scale energy megaprojects and inappropriate exploitation of natural resources threaten us all.

Forest Resources

Oujé-Bougoumou is now beginning to look very seriously at developing innovative and creative ways of managing and developing the forest resources around the community. We want to do this from the perspective that the conventional ways of managing and utilizing forest resources, clear-cutting and shipping raw materials south, has been proven to be inappropriate from the point of view of its impact on the environment and also from the perspective of the long-term viability of forestry.

We the Oujé-Bougoumou Eenou have a challenge to develop ways of using the forest resources which are in harmony with the environment and which will sustain our local economy indefinitely. In the same way we are showing the world with our district heating system that it is possible to generate energy in such a way as to be in harmony with the environment and with a view to contributing to the growth and development of our community, we now need to demonstrate that it is possible to do the same thing in the area of forestry. And so we are developing the local skills and the local capacity to make such a vision become a reality.

We plan to become involved in the forestry industry, not as clear-cutters who totally destroy the land and make it uninhabitable for living things, but as caretakers who will harvest smaller amounts from the forest, produce things with the wood to add value, and thereby leave the forest largely intact so that we will be able to continue to pursue our traditional economic activities.

Cultural Tourism

We have observed in recent years that there is a growing recognition and ackowledgment of the important role which Traditional Knowledge should play in the articulation of development planning. This was ackowledged in the Rio Summit on the Environment and has since been promoted by all prominent international bodies.

We realize also that the viability of our future requires that we embark upon an appropriate and determined effort in the area of economic development. It is in this context, and within a philosophy of " sustainable development " that we are developing projects in the areas of service sector enterprises, sustainable forestry, and culture-based tourism.

Our understanding of " sustainable development " has led us to conclude that culture-based tourism can occupy a cornerstone of our future economic development planning. Culture-based tourism is potentially environmentally benign, potentially compatable with our way of life, and potentially beneficial financially.

Our approach in the area of tourism will be to ensure that any experiences which are offered commercially are compatible with our Cree culture.

But what does this mean though pratically?

What will we do to ensure that our culture is not overwhelmed by the influx of people from the outside who may have expectations with respect to their encounter with aboriginal culture which are not realistic?

What can we do to ensure that the process of tourism does not have the unintended consequences of distorting the very thing which we are attempting to preserve - our culture and our environment?

We believe that the answer to these questions lies in our determination to remain true to our own heritage and to be proud of who we are and how we have always lived. It is our view that our cultural tourism products will necessarily be small-scale and intimate. Visitors have the opportunity to have a glimpse of a way of life which is based on maintaining harmony with nature. Our cultural tourism captures subtleties, moods, ambiences and good fellowship in surroundings where confort is measured by the quality of human relationships rather than the newness of material conditions. Elders recite ancient Cree stories in the warmth of a tent with a simple woodstove; visitors travel by foot or by dogsleds to check the snares and traps of Cree hunters; visitors learn about the ways in which the Crees treat the natural environment. As a result, visitors find our cultural tours very profound and moving experiences which some visitors have described as life-changing.

We believe, in fact, that if properly structured, our cultural tourism can also be a source of reinforcement of our traditional culture. By insisting that our tourism products remain authentic and genuine, and by attracting those tourists who are interested in our way of life, we will be sustaining and perpetuating those traditions among our own people.

Our attraction, therefore, include the village itself,

a blend of modern technique and traditional shapes, modern technology, and traditional philosophy; and

the traditional practices and way of life of the Cree people.

Our recent achievements in constructing our new village represent living proof that aboriginal self-determination works and that our traditional philosophies have relevance to the modern world. We now hope to accomplish in the area of tourism what we have accomplished in the construction of our village.

Guides and Cree cultural teachers, Anna and David Bosum, have spent most of their lives on the trap-line. Now they enjoy sharing their wealth of Cree culture and outdoor knowledge, and welcome visitors to come and experience Oujé-Bougoumou!

Tourism activities include cultural tours, snowmobile expeditions, and village-based tours. Evenings in the Cree Cultural Village can be a special treat with teachings by a woman knowledgable about traditional medicine and elders such as the former Chief, Jimmy Mianscum.

David Bosum guides groups on dog-sledding excursion on Lake Opemiska where he demonstrates fishing, hunting, and trapping practices. David notes that it is often the "first time they see a native out hunting. They really enjoyed it and they want to come back again next year." Like all outdoorspeople here, David can provide details of the local wildlife and forests, and the impacts that forestry and mining developments have had on the area.

	In the summer, visitors can swim, canoe, hike, or just unwind on the beach. If you want to fish on Lake Opemiska, fishing licenses can be purchased in Chibougamau.
	To date, expedition packages have been arranged by cultural coordinator Anna Bosum, who is David`s wife. People in the village call Anna "the busy lady". With a big smile and hearty wit, she organizes cultural activities, events and excursions. She is responsible for the ongoing development of the Cultural Village, in which each structure and item has ancestral and functional significance. In addition, Anna takes students on monthly excursions in the bush for education Cree-style.
	Anna is involved with organizing the annual Goose Festivals, held in mid-June. Activities included talent night, a goose calling contest, canoeing, woodcutting, bannock-making and tea-boiling.
	While a mini-powwow was held, square or fiddle dancing is more popular in Oujé-Bougoumou. "The busy lady" works ahead of time for guests by organizing traditional meals.
	Beaver, goose, duck, and moose roasted over a fire on spruce sticks; fresh trout, roasted or fried bannock, Cree dumplings, and sweet Indian-style donuts for dessert are among the local delicacies.
	Visitors are likely to find the necessities of home in Casey`s Depanneur. The staff prepared for a French snowmobiling expedition by stocking up on Perrier water, to the delight of European guests. As the manager explains, "I work closely with the cultural coordinator and the economic development agent." A coordinated effort is the key to excellent service.

For more information on the cultural excursions please refer to the Planning a Visit section of this web site.

Crafts

There are plans in progress to further develop our expedition and cultural packages, to build nature trails, and maybe to open the community gatehouse as a tourist information center. A growing tourism industry in Oujé-Bougoumou will offer local artisans the opportunity to develop their work. Our mocassins are already featured in the mail order catalogue of the magazine, Canadian Geographic.

For more information on our Crafts please refer to the Browse The Marketplace section of this web site.

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