Authentic Indigenous recognizes Haida House at Tlaal as a significant part of the new Haida plan for economic development and value-based community-building on Haida Gwaii, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 

Business at Haida House at Tllaal embodies the Haida principle of Tl’lyahda or making it right. In the late 2000s, new owners converted the private inn into a trophy-bear hunting lodge. The Council of Haida Nation called for the end of recreational bear hunting on Haida Gwaii in 1995 and the Nation’s economic development arm, Haida Enterprise Corporation (HaiCo), bought the property and retired the last remaining bear hunting licenses.

Responsible tourism shares history, stories, and culture in a way that sustains the land. Haida Style educates visitors about Haida perspectives on the environment. All experiences the company provides follow protocols that honour the seven Haida stewardship laws.

Haida Style offers programs and packages at Swan Bay Rediscovery, a Haida cultural camp in Gwaii Haanas that now operates a summer adult cultural immersion program. Guides share traditional knowledge of Haida history, harvesting, house building, and social structure with visitors and researchers in a way that focuses on the living Haida culture and long-term community building.

Haida Style is building businesses that support one another in tourism and other industries. The guiding company partners with local B&Bs, lodges and other businesses and employs local fishers and harvesters to keep Haida food on the table in a way that is sustainable and mutually beneficial.

James Cowpar and several guides at Haida Style have served the Haida Gwaii Watchman Program, a legendary nation-based model for upholding contemporary and traditional stewardship laws that has gained global attention. Responsible for protecting the integrity and beauty of Gwaii Haanas, the Haida Gwaii Watchmen monitor five areas of cultural significance, and Haida Style offers tour to all these sites.

In true Haida style, James Cowpar believes that if the business model works, there is an obligation to share with others. The model is successful; Haida Style has been able to extend its season by almost four months since its opening in 2012, increasing employment and opportunities for local Indigenous and non-Indigenous economies. Haida Style demonstrates the art of reciprocity by spending locally, from mechanics to jam.

The guides are adventure seekers and traditional culture sharers who host professors, archaeologists, graduate students, and scientists on expeditions within the territory to learn about conservation and local biodiversity from traditional Haida stewardship laws. Traditional and western research models come together on Haida Gwaii.