Fort Providence (Feb 09/04) - Fiddlers in the NWT are banding together to keep the North's fiddling tradition alive.

Established more than a year ago, the Kole Crook Fiddle Association boasts approximately 30 members -- all trying to keep fiddling from vanishing into the ether.

"With video games and television, there are a lot of distractions for kids," said Lewis Beck, one of the founders of the association.

"Fiddling is a dying art. Something needs to be done to promote it."

The group's namesake, Kole Crook, was one of the NWT's best known fiddlers. He was killed in a plane crashed during a storm on New Year's Eve, 2002.

The association's goal is to revive this special brand of music in the North and ensure the legacy of Crook and the NWT's other famous fiddlers continues.

The organization held a workshop in Fort Providence on Jan. 23-25 to instruct fiddle players on teaching the instrument to others.

"A different skill set is needed when it comes to teaching," said Beck, who only began playing the fiddle seriously about four years ago.

"We want to provide people with the ability to pass on what they know to others."

Roughly 20 fiddlers from Fort Smith, Yellowknife, Hay River, Wrigley and Fort Resolution attended the three-day workshop, led by Jaime Rokeby-Thomas and Carolyn Hatch, two instructors from Salt Spring Island, B.C.

The association is planning to hold another workshop in Fort Simpson in late February and might travel to Salt Spring Island for another session.

Eventually, Beck hopes the association will grow to include members from all parts of the NWT and return fiddling to its former popularity.

"It's such a wonderful instrument and it's a part of our history," said Beck.