The Native American Travel App–Route 66 Map Project is now an Official Route 66 Centennial Activity, following action taken by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission during its October meeting!
In 2016, the American Indigenous Tourism Association launched the magazine American Indians and Route 66. “I’d just started with the organization back then,” recalls Gaile, the Community and Partner Relations Director. She is based in Albuquerque and is a member of the Klamath Tribe from southern Oregon. “We wanted a publication that would spotlight tribes along Route 66, as well as their businesses and attractions.”
The Native American Travel App–Route 66 Map Project is an offshoot of that magazine. Part of its mission is to tell the story of Native nations, which is, as Gaile puts it, “very much the story of America.” She adds, “Telling our story in conjunction with the Route 66 Centennial is important to acknowledge. You’d be surprised how many people live next to a reservation and don’t even realize it’s there.”
There are over twenty tribes along Route 66, and one of the main goals of the project is to highlight the stories of tribes along the eastern section of the route, whose histories are often overlooked in the broader context of Route 66. The American Indigenous Tourism Association’s website features destinations for Native-owned businesses, and adding Route 66 to the map will allow travelers to see which tribes they pass through and plan their trips accordingly. “Some have big attractions, some have smaller ones,” Gaile says. “The Cherokee Nation has a living history museum and a hotel. The Hualapai in Arizona have the Skywalk and a living history site.”
While there’s a romance and nostalgia associated with Route 66, Gaile notes that there’s also a long history of Native iconography—and often, misrepresentation. “It’s important for visitors to know whose homelands they’re traveling through,” she says. “When I was young, I watched the TV show “Route 66” and was taken with the visual side of the road. Too often, though, there’s appropriation or misrepresentation of Native culture along the route. Buying Native goods is important, but often it’s not authentic—it’s mass-produced. Tourists should ask sellers for the name of the tribe that produced a piece they want to buy. That helps prevent the sale of fraudulent art.”
On americanindigenoustourism.org, visitors can explore an interactive map to plan road trips and see which tribes are in the regions they pass through. For exhibitions, performances, powwows, and more near you, visit the organization’s Facebook page here.
