Repulse Bay (Nov 17/04) - Seal skin mittens are not just warm and essential for winter in the North, they're beautiful to wear.

Making seal skin mittens from scratch is not an easy task, but students at Tusarvik school in Repulse Bay are learning from the best: their elders.

Gene Mapsalak is one of the elders in Repulse Bay who takes the time to teach students at Tusarvik school about traditional skills and Inuit legends. - photo courtesy of Leonie Aissaoui

Elder Susan Nuluk has been coming to the school recently for hour-long sessions with Grade 9 students.

Nuluk shows them how to properly skin a seal, take the fat off the skin, wash it, dry it and prepare it for sewing. That means making the skin soft, said student Jolene Angotingoar.

"It was hard, but I like it," said Angotingoar.

The only advice she recalls getting during one hour with Nuluk was "make them pretty!" Angotingoar said with a laugh.

Principal Leonie Aissaoui has always invited elders in to teach sewing and other traditional activities so the young people don't lose touch with their culture.

The school currently doesn't have a budget for hiring an elder or two full-time.

Right now, the school always finds some money to pay them for their assistance.

In time, Aissaoui hopes there is money in the education budget for hiring elders because she thinks they bring valuable knowledge to the school.

"It's not a continual thing. It depends on the program, but we like to have elders come in. During Halloween, an elder came in and told scary stories.

"We're also making posters for Remembrance Day and we had an elder come in and talk about the Legion and Nov. 11."

Celina Putulik knew how to sew already, but said she learns a lot from Nuluk's hour-long sessions.

"It's my favourite class," she said.