Chiefs, elders, and local residents were still buoyed after the historic signing between the Tlicho and Akaitcho First Nations the day before, settling once and for all a lengthy boundary dispute.

"Yesterday was such a good day we made it rain," remarked chair Gerry Cheezie as he brought the proceedings to order.

Most of the final day of the meeting, which began Tuesday in Yellowknife, went to hearing and commenting on the remarks made by the three territorial cabinet ministers in attendance: Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jim Antoine, Education Minister Jake Ootes, and Premier Stephen Kakfwi.

Support for the GNWT's pro-Kyoto Protocol stance was a given, considering the extremely bizarre weather conditions outside. What the chiefs wanted to hear, however, was what the present government could do for the Dene people, especially considering that territorial elections are less than a year away.

Kakfwi and Antoine talked at length about the need for Dene support on resource development, such as the diamond mines and the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline. They also pleaded for unity between the GNWT and First Nations to bolster their aims at seeking devolution and better resource royalty sharing from the federal government.

But several chiefs took aim at Ootes, saying without a good education, and moreover, a sense of pride in their culture, the GNWT's pursuits in making a better life for aboriginal people are inherently short-sighted.

"We're failing people as English and as Dene," said the chief of Hay River Reserve, Roy Fabian. He said after 100 years of exposure to the English language, his people are still suffering from numerous social ills, including chronic unemployment, alcoholism, and criminal behaviour among youths.

"I don't call it the Department of Education, I call it the Department of English."

Fabian said he believed Dene children must learn their language first before moving onto English if they are going to feel good about themselves and be successful.

In an interview with News/North, Dene national Chief Bill Erasmus suggested First Nations and the government take the next step, and create Dene-first schools in the NWT.

"If you look at the French, they've been very successful in implementing their language, their rights," said Erasmus. "In the North, they are about two or three per cent (of the population) but they have their own schools."

Ootes later thanked Fabian for his comments, but said there are simply not enough Dene-speaking teachers to implement a Dene-first school at the present.

"The ability is there for schools right now to use an aboriginal language as the first language of instruction in the schools, but... We need to ensure that we get more aboriginal teachers in the classroom."