Yellowknife (Jan 28/05) - Yellowknife's newest centenarian may have the secret to longevity: don't think about your age.

"She doesn't think she is that old," says Mary Louise King's son Narcisse Lockhart.

"I think that's how she got this far."

Born Jan. 1, 1905, in the bush on the south side of Great Slave Lake, King, who speaks only Chipewyan, is now a resident of Aven Manor.

She has lived there since 2000.

Prior to that, she lived with her oldest son, who is now deceased, in Fort Resolution for many years.

After a long productive life, she now enjoys watching television, walking around with her walker and having a cup of tea during her daily visits from Lockhart.

After living many years in the bush, Lockhart said he recalls his mother as being one of strength.

"We lived in a tent and while our father would be out trapping, she would have to visit the nets under the ice. She must have been strong," he recalled.

Lockhart said he also does not recall his mother ever being sick enough to be confined to her bed.

Keeping going and always being active, he said, may be a factor in her long lifespan.