And the well-known Fort Smith resident credits her active life to her six children, who have now grown.

"You have to be part of their lives or else you don't know what's going on," Dragon says of raising children.

Parents need to get to know and support their children, she says. "And they get to be your best friends."

By being involved in her children's lives, Dragon, 62, says she also became friends with many younger people. "They never look at my age."

Dragon's involvement in the community was recognized in 2002 when she received a Wise Women Award from the NWT Status of Women Council and a Golden Jubilee Medal as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's reign. (Dragon also received a Silver Jubilee Medal, 25 years ago.)

For the future, Dragon, who is fluent in Chipewyan, will concentrate on passing traditional knowledge and skills to her grandchildren. "I'd like to teach them some culture."

Born in Fond du Lac, Sask., Dragon has lived in Fort Smith since she was nine.

Though she didn't work while her children were growing up, she quips, "But I had a job. I had six children."

After her children had grown, she became a school community counsellor for six years.

She credits her active role in the community to the support of her husband, Dave.

"Lots of time I was not home -- I was gone with the kids."

When her husband retired five years ago, she decided to follow. "I figured it was his time."

But she has remained active in the community. Among her current activities, Dragon is a board member of Northern Life Museum and the Western Arctic Leadership Program, along with being a member of the Catholic Women's League.

And, as a board member of the Canadian Museum of Nature, she is working to revitalize its Traditional Knowledge Centre.

In the past, she has been involved with numerous organizations -- the NWT Native Women's Association and Aurora College, to name just two.

She has also been involved in numerous sports over the years, such as softball, swimming and basketball, which she coached at the Arctic Winter Games.

Dragon says she always enjoyed being involved in sports. "It keeps me young, I guess."