Nisoge’katik

This morning, Heather and I shared a zoom call with Celes Davar, Earth Rhythms.

He operates an experiential tourism business in the Gaspereau Valley of Nova Scotia. Our paths have crossed several times over the last forty years.

In an earlier email, he had forwarded information on the STAR (Strategic Tourism for Areas and Regions) visioning session for a new tourism strategy for the Annapolis valley. This week, there were sessions from Windsor to Annapolis Royal. I chose to attend the event at the Bridgetown Motor Inn. It was hosted by ACOA and the Valley REN.

As you might imagine, the small group of attendees was Bridgetown-centric in their interests. Thus, one of my concerns was a collaboration between the different communities throughout the Annapolis Valley region. As a previous board member of the Valley REN, I had noticed the lack of inclusiveness across the region.

To counter this reality, it is my belief that the overall focus should be on understanding our ecological landscape and the relationship of the different communities to these regional assets.

My second observation is that there is a shortage of staff in the hospitality industry, especially in rural Nova Scotia. To offset this, there should be a concerted effort to engage students and faculty within post-secondary educational institutions. With individuals, like Celes, moving into the region, there is the opportunity to become world leaders in the ’ creative rural economy. There exists an amazing resource of artists, musicians, and storytellers in the region. This links back to opportunities for experiential tourism.

Finally, from Celes, Nisoge’katik is the name for the village of Paradise in Mi’kmaq (check placenames.mapdev.ca). It means ’the lower ground’

Postscript

From Wade Davis,

”The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts of being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”

Acknowledgements

Participants at the STAR session in Bridgetown at the Motor Inn. Celes for a stimulating Zoom call. Heather shared the background research. Edward added the graphics, David and Paulette Whitman for their extensive knowledge of the Lawrencetown history and stories.

Reference

David and Paulette Whitman, 2009, Lawrencetown and the Annapolis Valley: An Old Fashioned, But New Scrapbook, Bailey Chase Books.