Indian Country Today Living Tourism

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It took nothing less than a mile-thick glacier to carve the cascade at Sioux Falls, S.D. from the quartzite bedrock. Ironically, the hardness of that same rock formation figures differently at the site in Minnesota where it surrounds the soft pipestone that is prized by American Indian tribal members.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Local tourism professionals are working alongside scholars, citizens and history buffs in a movement that is uncovering new stories and raising awareness of southeast Tennessee’s extremely significant Cherokee history, a part of America’s Native American past.

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Kodiak Cama’i. Asirtuq tailuten: “Hello. It is good you came.” Alutiiq history has historically been oral, and today, voices from the past speak in different ways on Kodiak Island.

TULALIP, Wash. – Tulalip Resort Casino, in the Pacific Northwest, has been honored with the AAA Four Diamond Award. Nationally recognized as one of the most coveted symbols of excellence in the hospitality industry, the AAA Diamond Rating System describes a property’s level of service, comfort, cleanliness and safety.

That this is a sensitive environment was clear as we walked the wooden boardwalk to a forested viewing platform from which we were most likely to see bear. The boardwalk provided safe transit over a muskeg, but security was still precarious. A bear paw print and scat showed humans are not alone in their use of the boardwalk.

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – The smell of burning sage and sweetgrass hovered in the air as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the University of Minnesota held a dedication ceremony for the Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza at TCF Bank Stadium Aug. 17. The SMSC Business Council, community members, tribal leaders, university officials and invited guests attended.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Rated consistently by Golf Digest as one of the best places to play, Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort offers two 18-hole courses with spectacular views of Palm Springs. The Legend Course is par-72 with a traditional layout boasting 6,600 yards of tree lined fairways. The Resort Course is newer; it debuted in 1995. Also a par-72, the 6,705-yard course with four sets of tees features a desert link-style layout.

NEW YORK – Soho, which hosts many art galleries and trendy downtown fashion houses such as Armani Exchange and Prada, has a neighbor featuring art and fashion from Alaska.

SAN DIEGO – Viejas recently announced plans for a boutique bowling center – Viejas Bowl – at the Viejas Outlet Center across from Viejas Casino.

CHEROKEE, N.C. (MCT) – Over the last decade, this sovereign nation on the southern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been undergoing an economic transformation.

SANTA FE, N.M. – Ryan Rice (Mohawk) of Kahnawake, Quebec began as curator of exhibitions and programs at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Sept. 1.

Native Americans need to capture a larger segment of the “Go, See, Do” tourist market.

BRADLEY, Mich. – Less than a month after the Interior’s Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry EchoHawk signed a proclamation officially declaring the existence of the Gun Lake Tribe’s 147-acre reservation, the tribe scheduled a ground-breaking ceremony for its long awaited Gun Lake Casino.

LAWTON, Okla. – The Oklahoma Museums Association recently announced that the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center is a recipient of a 2009 OMA Award. The museum takes top honors in the promotional piece category for the television commercial “Celebrating Josephine Wapp.”

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Executive Director Janice Skenandore-Hirth stepped down from her position at the end of July. Hirth announced plans to move back to her tribe and family, the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, Inc.

EL CAJON, Calif. – The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Sycuan Tribal Development Corporation and hundreds of invited guests celebrated the completion of the Marina Gateway project with a formal dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony in July.

1 of 3 in a series In Alaska, there is always a story being told, always a teaching being offered. Some stories and teachings are offered by people whose heritage dates to creation. Some are offered by the environment that has challenged, inspired and sustained them for millennia.

The All Nations Skate Jam, held every year at the same time as the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, N.M., attracts hundreds of American Indian kids who glide and fly on skateboards while their friends and families watch.

VERONA, N.Y. – No matter who wins the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge Golf Tournament, Indian children will be the real winners.

RED VALLEY, Ariz. – Looking back, Karen and Timothy Benally “didn’t have a clue.”