10 Indigenous Owned Businesses & Tourist Attractions To Support
Commitment to supporting Indigenous-owned businesses must go beyond September 30. We’ve compiled a list of Indigenous-owned businesses and tourism attractions in BC, a good place to start for those looking to support year-round. This list is a small start, have a favourite local Indigenous-owned business you like to support? Please let us know!
Located in Downtown Vancouver, The Bill Reid Gallery is the only public Gallery in Canada dedicated to contemporary Indigenous Northwest Coast Art and was established by the Bill Reid Foundation in 2008, to celebrate the Haida master artist Bill Reid and the diverse living cultures of the Northwest Coast.
North Vancouver-based Takaya Tours take guests out in 35-foot traditional style ocean-going canoes on an unforgettable journey across the waters and back through time. Exploring the rich marine coastlines of Burrard Inlet (Səl̓ilw̓ət), their experienced guides will share legends, songs, and stories that create lasting memories.
Skwachàys Lodge Indigenous Hotel & Gallery
Opened in 2012, the former Pender Hotel has been transformed from a three-and-a-half-story derelict SRO hotel to a unique Indigenous social enterprise that combines a boutique hotel with a street-level art gallery, that supports on-site housing and studio space for 24 Indigenous artists. Skwachàys Lodge offers visitors a unique and authentic Indigenous cultural experience for the socially conscious traveller. When a guest spends their overnight travel dollars at the Skwachàys Lodge there is a social impact – people are housed. When a guest, a member of the community or a company purchases authentic Indigenous art at the Fair Trade Gallery, there is a social impact – a simple purchase fights cultural misappropriation and ensures that Indigenous artists are paid fairly for their work. Cultural tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism sector and there is absolutely a place for urban Indigenous artists to participate in this industry as a means of reclaiming their lives and independence.
Vancouver Island’s Sea Wolf Adventures’ team of Indigenous expert guides introduce visitors to areas that the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis people have called home for millennia. Their grizzly bear, whale, and otter watching tours include not only an intimate and immersive wildlife viewing experience, but also the cultural significance and stories behind the scenery and sustainable wildlife viewing practices.
Nk'mip Cellars & Spirit Ridge Resort
The first Indigenous-owned winery in North America, Nk’mip Cellars expresses their culture in everything they do. Purchase their award-winning wines on their website, at select liquor stores, or at the winery in Osoyoos. Also located on the property is Spirit Ridge Resort, an all-suite resort renowned for its natural landscapes and delicious food, wine and reputation as a true wellness-centred oasis.
Kwa’lilas is a kwak’wala word used by Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw people meaning a place to sleep. A group of Elders chose this word in hopes that travelers and guests would find a peaceful rest after a day of exploration on the Northern Vancouver Island. Port Hardy’s premier First Nations destination hotel, Kwa'lilas Hotel offers a curated selection of authentic local Indigenous arts and culture.
Coastal Rainforest Safaris delivers exciting wilderness experiences rooted in the culturally rich territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. Departing from Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island, they offer guests an immersive nature experience that explores their connection to the land and sea, the wildlife, and the people who have lived here since time immemorial.
Talaysay Tours offers authentic Aboriginal cultural and eco-tourism experiences in and around Vancouver, Squamish and the Sunshine Coast, as well as online virtual tours via Zoom. Their First Nation guides will share ancient and contemporary stories, legends, and Aboriginal ways of living as you take in the sights of old growth forests, wildlife, beautiful northwest coast views and the flora and fauna of the season.
Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre
The Squamish and Lil’wat Nations built the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) in 2008 to share their cultural knowledge to inspire understanding and respect amongst all people. The building is designed to evoke the longhouses of the Squamish people and the Istken (traditional earthen pit house) of the Lil’wat people with a modern architectural interpretation. The SLCC stands as testimony to their proud heritage — from time immemorial to the present.
Indigenous World Winery merges modern culture with Indigenous history. The Indigenous first peoples of the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys are the Okanagan Syilx people, and they have lived on and protected these lands for thousands of years. Robert Louie and his wife Bernice are descendants of the Syilx people and are connected to the land and its rich history. The concept of Indigenous World Winery emerged as Robert and Bernice's way of combining the unique terroir of the valley and the Indigenous people's stewardship of these lands. Every effort is being made to produce world-class wines in a respectful way to the environment and its people.