Reeves College had the pleasure of partnering on Pale Horse Tipi Camp, owned by local Riel Houle. Riel is a Blackfoot/Chippewa entrepreneur who currently resides in the Piikani Nation. At only 38 years old, Riel sits as an elected band Councillor for the Piikani Nation in Alberta and is the youngest of the Nation’s elected leadership.

Every summer and spring, Riel runs his tourism business in Piikani. At Pale Horse Tipi Camp, guests experience Blackfoot authenticity, medicine hikes, cultural sensitivity training, drumming and dancing performances, as well as traditional food. In addition, the business promotes self-sustainability, includes on-reserve local band members, and preserves culture and heritage, while creating employment opportunities for members in the community.

As an Indigenous entrepreneur, Riel has created economic growth and more job opportunities within his community while fostering the Indigenous heritage and culture of the Piikani Nation. He has also appeared on CBC’s Dragons’ Den where he pitched his business idea to the dragons in 2016.

For Reeves College, a major part of reconciliation means supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs. Indigenous businesses continue to face multiple barriers when it comes to accessing capital, business training, and planning for their businesses.

Reeves College will be offering the ACSW program starting in September and the Employment Services will be sponsoring students to attend. This is the first time this sort of partnership has been established between Reeves and the Piikani group. We look forward to helping to train skilled workers to work on the reserve and staff their many programs that are helping the population move away from addictions. Anyone interested should directly contact the Lethbridge campus for further details.

Learn more about the authentic experiences at the Pale Horse Tipi Camp by contacting Riel Houle at palehorsetipicamp@gmail.com or 403-332-3840.

403-332-3840 | palehorsetipicamp@gmail.com | Riel Houle