Yellowknife (Jun 23/06) - There were more than bugs in the air near the Yellowknife River this week.

There was music, there were stories, there was dance and there was food - all for a good cause.

The second annual Aboriginal Honour Ceremony drew a large crowd to the outdoor bandstand at the river this weekend to honour this year's aboriginal high school graduates.

The ceremony opened with feeding the fire, led with a speech from elder Judy Charlo and song from the Tlicho Drummers.

According to translator and Yellowknife Dene chief Fred Sangris, her story emphasized the importance of the area near Yellowknife River, which the Yellowknives Dene used as a meeting place in pre-colonial times, when it was known as Weledeh.

"There's a lot of history in this place," he said.

In a huge procession, all those in attendance gathered in a circle, moving past the fire to offer tobacco. On the fly, Charlo requested a drum dance to honour the graduates, encouraging nearly 100 people to round the fire.

The master of ceremonies for the event was former Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, who introduced a series of speakers, including Sangris, Frame Lake MLA and Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Charles Dent.

Sangris emphasized balance, encouraging graduates to embrace education and their culture. "Balance it so you can have the best of both worlds," he said.

He also asked graduates to consider staying in the NWT to work and live in their adult lives.

"We need you," he said. "We need your enthusiasm."

The main event of the evening was the presenting of custom-made stoles to each of the aboriginal students in attendance. According to Blondin-Andrew, each student chose the person to present them with their stoles, which could be a friend, a parent, or in one case, a principal.

One happy presenter was Roberta Kennedy, one of the event's organizers and an instructor at Weledeh school, who gave a stole to her son, James. She said honouring the graduates was very important, given the problems that some aboriginal students face in the education system.

"We have a very high drop-out rate," she said.

However, she said she hoped this event and many more to follow it, will serve as a reminder and an inspiration to younger students in attendance.

"I'm glad more students have made the choice to stay in school," she said.

The ceremony also featured a feast, followed by fiddling and jigging; Lee Mandeville and company provided the music, while Karen, Peter and Cheyanna Wright-Fraser provided the fast feet.

There was also a throat signing demonstration with Lucy Uyarak and her eight-year-old daughter Kayla Tulugarjuk, storytelling, a performance from former Yellowknifer Amber Lemouel and a closing drum dance.