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WHATI/LAC LA MARTRE - Adam Nitsiza, 16, spent a big chunk of his summer doing something many youth couldn't imagine doing during their holidays - learning about science.

The Whati resident was out on the barrens for 10 days last month learning a mix of biology and traditional knowledge.

"It was really good because I enjoy camping out on the land," he said. "There were probably just less than 30 people there from all over the NWT."

Participants stayed in large tents at the camp, he said adding it was generally six to a tent with plenty of room to spare.

"We learned a lot about caribou," he said.

While it was good to find out so much about such an important animal to the North, there was another part of the course that proved to be his favourite.

"The best part was the bear safety training," he said. "We learned that you should never run when you see a bear."

Nitsiza learned how to speak to the bear instead, and why it is important to show it the proper respect.

"You use a soft voice talking to a bear and you introduce yourself," he said. "You need to let him know you're a human."

In Tlicho legend the animals were here first, said Lucy Lafferty, director of education for the Tlicho Community Services Agency.

"They were the ones who decided which ones among them would help man and in what ways," she said. "The bear wanted to be a food source."

The other animals respected the bear's willingness to give, but recognized his short temper and long memory wouldn't make him a good food source, she added.

"I was happy to hear him (Adam Nitsiza) say he learned how to talk to a bear," said Lafferty. "We call the bear 'grandfather' out of respect."

The entire experience was amazing, Nitsiza said, leaving little doubt he was a good choice to participate in the program.

"My favourite subjects are science and math," he said. "I'm going into Grade 11 and want to learn more about science this year."

When he isn't in class, Nitsiza said he likes hanging out around the community he has called home his entire life.

"Whati is good because it's not noisy and everybody knows everybody else," he said.

"We do a lot of fishing and that's fun ... Sometimes we use nets and other times we use rods, both ways are good."