First Peoples Outdoor Institute · About
Built for learning on the land.
First Peoples Outdoor Institute is an Indigenous-owned outdoor field school owned by Tatâga Inc, a for-profit company. Ali Tapaquon and Zac bring their established consulting, outdoor and ecological field experience together through land-based learning and professional development.
Calgary is our base. Each offering is planned around a field location in the surrounding region, rather than a permanent campus.
Ali Tapaquon
Principal & Founder, Tatâga Inc · Student herbalist
Ali is a Nêhiyaw (Cree) and Ethiopian consultant with roots in Carry the Kettle Nation in Treaty 4. He founded Tatâga Inc in 2019 and works across Indigenous rights, governance and climate, including with organizations in the outdoor and environmental sectors.
A hunter and outdoorsman, Ali is studying herbology at Wild Rose College and developing his herbal practice as a student. He brings that continuing learning, his consulting experience and his relationships with the land to the institute's direction.
Ali serves on the boards of The Howl Experience, Canada Bridges and the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA). His governance work connects youth, outdoor learning, community and climate.
Zac
Zachery Wulf Shiell Gillrie · ZWULF Inc
Zac is the principal of ZWULF Inc. His environmental consulting work across western Canada includes wildlife and habitat surveys, environmental monitoring, reptile and amphibian work, and environmental assessments. He brings this applied field experience to the institute's ecological teaching and course design.
Teaching through relationships
Our teaching approach brings practical professional experience into conversation with land-based learning. We plan to invite Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals where their expertise fits the course. Guest contributors are introduced when their participation and teaching scope are agreed.
A practice beyond the classroom
Time outside shapes the questions we ask.
Hunting, outdoor skills and continuing herbal studies inform Ali’s relationship with the land. The institute brings that ongoing practice into conversation with field science, careful observation and professional learning.
Independent field learning
Our focus is practical adult and professional learning, rather than degree programs. Course dates, sites, fees and the final teaching team will be published before registration opens.