INUVIK - Leonard Harry was born in the Beaufort region in 1941.

You might say he's from Aklavik, only the town was very different then and his family lived the traditional way, in nearby camps.

Leonard Harry, 66, has been teaching a traditional knowledge course through the Inuvik Works Project alongside Esther MacLeod. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

"We used to get our water from creeks," he said, adding his grandparents and parents taught him how to fish, hunt, trap and survive through the cold winters.

Today, at the age of 66, Harry is helping to pass on that traditional knowledge.

Along with Esther Macleod, he is teaching a week-long workshop through the Inuvik Works Project, which introduces students to traditional crafts.

"We do shoes and mitts, things like this," MacLeod said.

As a lifelong hunter, whaler, fisherman and sometimes carver, Harry said he's proud of his traditional culture.

On Feb. 23, he watched as student Charles Elanik carved a wooden game piece for a traditional Inuvialuit game.

"It's what I learned from my own grandparents," he said.

In his past careers, Harry has also been involved in traditional culture, albeit in a modern way.

He said he was a Fisheries and Oceans officer in the 1970s, and also worked for the Inuvialuit Communications Society as a television reporter.

He was producer and host of the show Tamapta in the late 1980s, which broadcasts the stories of Inuvialuit elders.

And since he's also fluent in Inupiat, Harry said he's also worked as a translator.

Two weeks ago, he travelled to Aklavik for the funeral of popular elder Danny A. Gordon, who he knew from his childhood.

He said it was a good time to reflect on memories of his youth.

"I grew up with him on the land," he said.