YELLOWKNIFE - A handmade birch bark canoe made by 14 students from Kalemi Dene school - shipped up in a crate from Whitefish, Ont. - was unveiled at the school last week, marking the final step in a process meant to bring the students closer to their Dene past.

Kalemi Dene school teacher Ty Hamilton stands with his students during the unveiling of a birch bark canoe crafted by the students during a trip to Ontario in May. The students, from left to right, are: Shalbe Betsina, Christal Sangris, Brandon Etsemba Sangris, Kirsten Sangris, Bobbie Jo Johnson Black and Shelly Goulet. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

"We tried to build this canoe to resemble the traditional Dogrib type of canoe," said Guy Erasmus, a chaperone who took the students to Whitefish for two weeks in May and June to work with Tom Byers, a renowned canoe builder living in the Ontario town.

"We used pictures and dimensions to create as closely as we could what a canoe would have looked like from our area, specific to Dene in the North."

What started as a personal project for Erasmus two years ago soon spread to the school - where his wife works - after several students expressed their interest in accompanying Erasmus during his visit to Ontario.

The canoe trip was deemed a great way to encourage students to stick with their studies, said Ty Hamilton, a teacher who also joined the students on the trip.

"I think the primary purpose of this trip is for cultural education," said Hamilton. "The other purpose of the trip is to encourage students to stay in school, because they have this to look forward to at the end of the year.

"Travel is very motivating for the students."

But really expensive, too, as the students found out during their year-long fundraising mission at such events as the Caribou Carnival.

"Fundraising is a lot of work," said Hamilton. "Having the endurance to keep raising the money throughout the year, even when it's challenging, when it's extra work outside of class time. It's a challenge to stick with the fundraising, but they get the rewards at the end."

The students arrived at Byers' home on the last week of May.

"The first step was to build a frame that we wanted the size of the boat to be," said Erasmus. And then the ribs and whatnot push the bark out to that frame. It's quite a process. Really quite slick."

To hold together the hand-carved pieces of birch bark - taken from birch trees around Whitefish - the students scoured the Ingraham Trail for spruce gum before leaving for the trip.

"Right to the last day of the trip, they were putting spruce gum on the seams, making sure it was water proof," said Erasmus. "They saw it go in the river."

According to one student, the canoe wasn't entirely waterproof.

"It was crazy," said Brandon Etsemba Sangris of the test ride. "There were little holes in the canoe and it sank a little. It's really tippy."

Etsemba Sangris said the trip was a valuable experience for him because he wants to eventually work as a carpenter.