Case Study: Voices of The Land

Partnered with Panther Creative, an interpretive design company, ISL provided landscape architecture services and interpretive design for an Indigenous Exhibit. The project, located in Jasper National Park, was a collaborative effort between Parks Canada, the Town of Jasper, and 17 local Indigenous groups.

Objectives:

• To create a cultural landscape project for Parks Canada in Jasper National Park that acknowledges past wrongs and seeks reconciliation with the Indigenous communities that were forcibly removed from the park in the early 20th century and provides a space for education, and healing.
  
• To engage extensively with Indigenous groups in a meaningful and respectful way, that have historical and cultural ties to the park, as well as the Town of Jasper, which maintains the site, and to incorporate their stories, perspectives, and input into the design and content of the project.
• To provide civil, structural, and landscape architecture services, in partnership with Panther Creative, that reflect the Indigenous worldview, values, and aesthetics, as well as the environmental and historical context of the site.

Challenges: 

• A number of utilities changed over the course of design and construction phase causing a design-construction vs utilities conflict. This included the watermain running through the site.
• The performance of the initial contractor was not quite up to par, leading to some unexpected delays.
• Navigating conflicting interests between the landowners and the party responsible for ongoing maintenance. 

The project was initiated by the Jasper Indigenous Forum and designed in collaboration with Indigenous partners and Parks Canada. The exhibit serves as a profound acknowledgment of Indigenous peoples connected to Jasper National Park. Parks Canada had an internal concept that they wanted to improve and refine with the help of interpretive design and landscape architecture experts. They issued an RFP and selected Panther Creative as the prime consultant and ISL as the subconsultant. 

Situated in Athabasca Park near the Visitor Information Centre, the project has evolved through years of meticulous planning and development, involving more than 40 meetings to determine aspects like landscaping, artwork, and the symbolic bronze eagle sculpture.

• ISL coordinated and adjusted the design to fit site constraints while maintaining the design intent addressing the utility changes during design and construction.
• ISL considered the contractor performance issues as a learning experience and hired a more suitable contractor. The design team collaborated with Parks Canada to support the contractor reselection and ensure ongoing coordination.
• ISL facilitated small-scale workshops to encourage listening and develop win-win solutions between the various parties.

The project resulted in the design and construction of an Indigenous exhibit space in Jasper National Park, which tells the story of the Indigenous communities that were displaced. This exhibit creates space for history and is a starting point for reconciliation and healing. 

• The exhibit is designed to be an inclusive and meaningful space where visitors are introduced to the history and culture of Indigenous peoples at each of its four entrances. Storytelling art panels are integrated into the pathways speaking to how the cultures connect to the land and the impacts of the forced removal. Benches throughout the exhibit provide spaces for deeper reflection and engagement with the content.
• Central to the exhibit is the promotion of the Indigenous worldview, highlighting the diversity of languages and historical timelines of Indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial. This exhibit offers a place for rediscovering connections to the landscape, land based learning and elder teachings, and opportunities for cultural celebration
• The project, guided by the Indigenous Exhibit Working Group and comprising representatives from numerous communities, aims to restore the connections that Indigenous peoples had to the land before their displacement in 1907 with the creation of Jasper Park Forest Reserve. This effort is echoed by community leaders who stress the significance of reclaiming connections to these sacred lands and sharing their stories.
• Parks Canada, along with members of the Jasper Indigenous Forum, is committed to creating a space that allows Indigenous communities to share their connections with these lands through their own artistic and interpretive expressions. This space is not only a place for sharing and education but also a step toward reconciliation, helping both Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors see Jasper in a new light and understand the historical and ongoing connections Indigenous peoples have with the land.

The project is highly significant as it provides an opportunity for the Indigenous community to interact with the public and tell the story of being forcibly removed from the national park, and the impacts this had on their culture, traditions, lives, and identity. This space serves as a place for ceremony, teaching, cultural exchange, and dialogue among different indigenous groups and non-indigenous people.