Sweet Grass Stories: An Indigenous Connections Workshop Experience

MAY 23, 2023 | BY: LORI SLY

Sweet Grass Stories: An Indigenous Connections Workshop Experience was a pilot tourism and community engagement workshop held in Southwest Saskatchewan. The  purpose was  to create an economic development model for future events in the region and to provide support to local Indigenous operators wanting to grow their businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors. The two-day event, held March 16-17, 2023, at Living Sky Casino, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, centred on telling the story of the land, the people, and the culture through an Indigenous lens.

The workshop, organized and led by Darla Deguire, Cedar + Sage Retreats on behalf of the Greater Southwest Destination Consortium (GSDC), brought together approximately 60 individuals and organizations from various tourism-specific industry representatives, local/provincial/national organizations, government representatives, and several Indigenous organizations, communities, and operators both in and outside the GSDC. This workshop experience provided a forum for building Indigenous tourism and economic development in the Southwest Region and inspiration and support for Indigenous operators in the region to take their business to a market-ready enterprise.  By building capacity for existing Indigenous operators and leveraging their industry expertise and knowledge, the event generated enthusiasm and support to build upon this first community engagement project. 

Sweet Grass Stories was unique because it brought together important stakeholders to share their insights and feedback including representatives of organizations that have resources to support communities and entrepreneurs, such as the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Tourism Saskatchewan.

The workshop included various sessions, such as a Smudge Ceremony and Teaching by Elder & Knowledge Keeper Dale Mosquito, Other Forms of Storytelling with Métis artist and writer Tekeyla Friday, a presentation from ITAC, An Indigenous Dining Experience with Chef Jordan Langen, Why Story is Important for Culture led by Tanisha Francis, An Arts Experience with Silvering Beads founder Sylvia Thorburn, Tourism Ecosystem Development — Recipes for Healthy Tourism, and a structured feedback session.

The feedback session resulted in recommendations from the participants such as being intentional when documenting events and tourism opportunities so that they can be used for marketing purposes, developing relationships with vendors, First Nations, Indigenous organizations, and tourism organizations, and engaging the GSDC partners to develop next steps and identify opportunities that were generated during the workshop.

This pilot tourism and community engagement workshop held in Southwest Saskatchewan successfully provided momentum to build authentic Indigenous experiences in the region and inspired local Indigenous operators wanting to grow their businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors.  Sweet Grass Stories: An Indigenous Connections Workshop Experience was a successful launch and model on which to build future tourism and community engagement workshops.  

Destinate Group was honoured to be one of the event and project partners and consultants for this unique pilot project.  We are definitely looking forward to taking this experience, building on it, and sharing it with others who might benefit from community engagement in tourism.