Exploring the Egg Lake /?Eghés tu Landscape and the Lake One Trail A Collaboration with Knowledge Holders in Wood Buffalo National Park

Abstract

Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) was established in the 1920s as a bison sanctuary, and since then it has received major recognition for its wildlife resources, including designations as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar site. But, there has been no formal recognition of its significant cultural heritage. Yet the lands of the park are criss-crossed by multiple overland Aboriginal trails that link together the settlements and areas of land use in the region, and the region itself to other parts of northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories (NWT). The goal of my research was to show how the park’s cultural heritage and values are just as important as its natural values. I do this by using a collaborative approach with local Cree and Chipewyan residents and a Parks Canada archaeologist to document one of the traditional trails in the park and the cultural meanings and stories associated with it. My thesis will discuss this project, consider what this trail research can reveal about the Aboriginal cultural landscape of a northern national park, and more broadly, propose a framework for a revised UNESCO commemorative statement that includes culture.