For the Innu, the word “tourism” doesn’t always resonate in the right way. It often suggests an external gaze, a form of cultural consumption, or even a sense of distance between those who visit and those who receive. Yet this perspective is far from how the Innu of Pessamit envision encounters with others.

In Innu culture, it’s more about sharing, exchange, and genuine connection. When a visitor arrives, they are not merely a tourist: they are welcomed as someone to whom one offers access to their land, their culture, and their history. It’s an act of hospitality rooted in the deep values of the Innu people, who see in these moments an opportunity for human connection, mutual learning, and living transmission.

Welcoming others “into one’s home” is not, for the Innu, a commercial activity, but an act of generosity and cultural pride. It is a way to weave bonds, to share a way of life, a worldview, and a unique relationship to the land. In this context, tourism takes on a completely different meaning: it becomes a space for respectful, sincere, and deeply human cultural exchange.

It is also a space of immersion in Innu culture—for visitors, but equally for members of the community themselves.