Recreation and Leisure Studies alumna Allison Holmes (MA ’15, Tourism Policy and Planning) was quoted in a CBC story covering an Indigenous community’s reaction to daredevil kayakers “running” a waterfall considered sacred territory.
Alexandra Falls is a 33.5-metre waterfall near Hay River in the Northwest Territories, and has attracted white-water kayakers before. But when two of a party of five were injured while paddling over the falls this summer, reaction was about more than the dangerous nature of the stunt. A representative of the Katlodeeche First Nation is quoted as saying it was disrespectful to the traditional users of the land.
The controversy came as no surprise to Ally, who wrote her master’s thesis on respectful visitor behaviour in traditional territories of the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation. In fact, her project culminated in a community-informed code of conduct for visitors to the area.
Today, Ally works for a Toronto-based program-evaluation firm called Cathexis Consulting, where she uses her Waterloo-acquired research skills every day. She’s proud of the work she did during her master’s studies, and a little awed to see its continuing relevance – not to mention her being cited by the CBC as a subject-matter expert.
Ally reminds us that we should all aim to travel respectfully and politely wherever we go, and hopes her code of conduct may make its way into the hands of flight charter companies, airports, tour guides and others who may unknowingly bring travellers into traditional territories.
