Native America Calling: Native programs aimed at cultivating responsible tourism

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Native America Calling

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Thursday, July 9, 2026

Native programs aimed at cultivating responsible tourism

The Tlingit and Haida Tribes, the Ketchikan Indian Community, and other communities in Southeast Alaska are urging tourists to stop disrespecting unique cultural symbols such as totem poles.

Nearly two million tourists visit the region annually and tribal members are reporting an uptick in incidents of tourists mocking Native culture. The message from the tribes remains: all are welcome and respect is not optional.

While promoting responsible tourism, the Ketchikan Indian Community is also launching a new initiative for visitors to purchase care packages for the community’s unhoused population. The initiative is also aimed at supporting the tribe’s year-round housing services for unhoused residents.

And in the Lower 48 states, a Navajo app developer has created Tribal Trailz. George Joe’s project aims to help visitors navigate Diné and Pueblo lands across Arizona and New Mexico and includes historical information and other resources designed to better educate tourists about traveling in ancestral homelands.

Guests on Native America Calling

Emily Edenshaw (Native Village of Emmonak), tribal administrator and CEO of the Ketchikan Indian Community in Alaska

George R. Joe (Navajo), cultural consultant and creator of “Tribal Trailz”

Bobbie Conner (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation), director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute in Oregon