One of my favourites from my vintage postcard collection! I especially love the bears having a "coffee break" - but also please PLEASE don't feed the wildlife!
I'm about to delve in to one of my favourite topics in history. It's one that is very close to my heart, and it's also one that needs to be shared and discussed more often: why history matters in Canada's national parks. But before I do so, it's important that I acknowledge my position in all of this:
I am not Indigenous, I do not have any claim to the cultures, epistemologies, and people represented in this post. I also acknowledge the Anishinnabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapèewak, and Attawandaron peoples, whose lands and waters I live and work upon at Western University. As a settler working towards reconciliation and decolonization of Turtle Island, I recognize my privilege as a non-Indigenous Canadian. I acknowledge that I cannot and will not speak for Indigenous peoples but instead will continue to support them through active listening, engagement, and personal growth.
Alright, let's begin:
Since the creation of Canada's first national park in 1885 - iconic Banff National Park - the main focus behind establishing protected lands and resources was to provide Canadians with recreational opportunities like camping, hiking, skiing, and spa-ing. Alongside these activities, there was also a large amount of resource extraction being carried out across Banff. Historically, Banff was discovered to be a place of great commercial value following the extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway in to the Rocky Mountains. In 1883, two CPR employees stumbled upon natural sulphurous hot springs on Sulphur Mountain (how aptly named!) Over the next two years, there would be constant conflict over land claims and ownership over the hot springs. In 1885, the Canadian Government was granted ownership over the land to establish a "hot springs reserve" which would span a little over 25 square kilometres (Finklestein, Fong, et. al. 2015). This expanded to create the posh Town of Banff and Banff National Park, which is now the most visited national park in Canada with over 4 million visitors in the 2018-2019 season. That's twice as many as the next highest ranked park - Jasper National Park with 2 million visitors! (Parks Canada, 2019).
Swimming in the Banff Hot Springs, circa. late 1880's
However, while settlers were occupied over who could keep the newly discovered hot springs, thousands of years of history was simultaneously erased from the land. There is extensive archeological evidence which proves Banff has been occupied by humans for the last 10,000 years. The land is the traditional territory of the Kootney, Stoney-Nakoda, Blood, Peigan, Siksika, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations (ibid). These nations surrendered their land in 1877 with the signing of Treaty 7 and now tourists from all over the world travel to see the breathtaking beauty of Lake Louise, eat Beavertails, gather aesthetic Instagram content, and purchase souvenirs of Mounties and Maple Leafs. All of which are relics of a colonial past which erases Indigenous cultures to create "Canadian" nationalist identity.
Idillic Moraine Lake in Banff National Park
The story of Canada has two distinct tellings , the one I want to share with you today is the not-so warm and fuzzy one. How did an entire community of Indigenous cultures and traditions become "extinct", stolen with the land and made to seem uniquely Canadian? And how has that land been simultaneously utilized by the settler state to decontextualize the history of Indigenous sovereignty entirely to create timeless landscapes of rugged mountains, grizzly bears, and glaciers? The most important question of all: how can national parks become the forefront of Indigenous reconciliation and resurgence? These are the questions that drive my research as an (almost) historian.
Parks Canada, the agency I have worked for the last seven or eight summers of my life, is divided into two departments. The first is National Historic Sites of Canada, which are mandated to preserve, protect, and present the history and culture of Canada; these include historic forts, homes, properties, and museums. The second is the National Parks system, which is mandated to preserve, protect, and present the natural heritage and resources of Canadian landscapes. Within this system, Canada has 48 National Parks and Reserves. The newest, Thaidene Nëné, is located in the Northwest Territories and is co-managed by the Canadian government and the Łutsël K’e Dene Nation (Parks Canada, 2019).
Sunset at Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve, 2019
Many of these parks are focused on ecological and natural presentation and conservation, ignoring thousands of years of history and culture in order to de-contextualize Indigenous sovereignty. Indigenous representation within national parks (for the majority) revolves around the distant past, which insinuates the thought that these people have long since vanished from the face of the Earth - so they can't be missing their land. When they are present in contemporary history, Indigenous peoples are presented through racist tropes and stereotypes which remove agency. But what if I told you that national parks could do the opposite? Our national parks have the capacity to connect Indigenous nations to their ancestral lands, waters, and resources which are connected to cultures and epistemologies or ways of knowing. How would we do it, and what would it look like?
"Banff Indian Days" is just one example of the commodification and fetishization of Indigeneity within national parks as a tourist spectacle. The National Post published this photograph alongside a quote from a 1929 advertisement: "Tourists were entertained by dancing, drumming, 'war whoops' and archery performed by 'Chiefs and Braves and squaws in full regalia'".
It's actually a pretty simple concept. We have 48 sites that contain perfectly preserved original lands and resources which could be given back to their original caretakers, Indigenous peoples, while mutually benefiting the Government of Canada, Canadians, and Indigenous communities. Indigenous nations would have their lands back, would have space to practice and renew their cultures, will have resources to create economic growth and prosperity, and sovereignty over their birth rights that were taken from them. National parks are a prime platform for reconciliation, an embodied practice of reconnecting people with the land and healing relations between settlers and Indigenous people. Moreover, returning the rich cultural history to these sites means a renewed interest in tourism for Canadians and international travellers alike who visit parks not only for the breathtaking views, but also to experience something intrinsically cultural and spiritual - connecting land with humanity.
Banff's racist history is still alive in some parts, like this mountain peak named "Stoney Squaw Mountain", Stoney referring to the Stoney-Nakota Nation.
Is this all just a romanticized notion? Mostly, yeah. But do I believe it's possible? Yes. Without the presence of history, historians and interpreters in national parks these stories will continue to be ignored and opportunities for growth overlooked. But I also think it's vital that these transactions are lead by Indigenous voices, not government agendas. Many tourist sites are starting to recognize the value of using Indigeneity to bandwagon on to popular topics and avoid this strange social-justice FOMO phenomenon. Instead of hypocritically mentioning Indigenous voices without actually citing one, I wanted to include a snippet from one of my favourite Indigenous authors and scholars Leanne Betasamosake Simspon, who is Anishinaabekwe from Michi-Saagiig First Nation that exemplifies Indigenous-led systemic change:
Leanne Simpson harvesting "minomiin" or wild rice, a traditional crop for Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg people along the Trent Severn Waterway.
"We cannot carry out the kind of decolonization our ancestors set in motion if we don’t create a generation of land based, community based intellectuals and cultural producers who are accountable to our nations and whose life work is concerned with the regeneration of these systems"
- Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Land as Pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation, pp. 13
The resurgence of the natural world is the first step in the resurgence of Indigenous sovereignty, as one cannot exist without the other. We have seen this proved on reservations: in toxic drinking water, in pipelines, illness, and extreme poverty. What national parks need from historians is the ability to look at the past to create a better now. As historians, we should also recognize the inexplicable connections between the land and time. Humanity is constantly in flux with the land, and we must be good stewards of it if we are to be good stewards of the past.