by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 10/97) - It might be the first time the NWT Teacher's Association and the Department of Finance have agreed on anything in recent memory.

Every school in the North now has a copy of TOPONA -- a trivia board game that includes about 500 questions about North American aboriginals -- thanks to a joint agreement between the association and the GNWT.

The game was developed in the North over a two-year period by two Fort Resolution women in co-operation with two Edmonton business workshop instructors.

"It's kind of neat that both our names are on the agreement," said Patricia Thomas, president of the association.

She said the teachers' relationship with the GNWT is still good despite their challenge of the Public Service Act amendment to stop cuts to teacher's salaries.

Thomas did, however, admit that the agreement between the two is rare.

At a cost of about $5,000 -- shared equally by the teachers and the GNWT -- 86 games were bought to help students learn about the aboriginal history of the NWT.

"Because the questions (of the game) are of an aboriginal nature, students can learn and have fun at the same time," she said. "It also complements social studies."

While the agreement might be a first for the teachers, Thomas said it may have opened the door to more joint efforts with the GNWT.

The games sent to Northern schools are among the first to be sold since before Christmas.

A popular retail item before the holidays, TOPONA game sold out across Canada and the U.S. -- all 2,000 copies -- and it became impossible to get until the manufacturer made more.

The game's name is an acronym for "The Original People of North America." It was invented by Fort Resolution's Ruth Mandeville and Marilyn Sanderson and first hit the market last fall.