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CORAL HARBOUR
Rankin Inlet elder Rosemary Sandy is passing a bit of her traditional knowledge along to eight female students at the Nunavut Arctic College (NAC) Learning Centre in Coral Harbour this month.

And, she's also made quite an impact with a number of Sakku students as well.

Twenty-one people applied for the eight spots in the Coral program.

Sandy said there is more to the fur production course than learning how to process sealskin, although that plays a prominent role.

She said she did a similar program earlier this year that was a hit in Rankin.

"I was hired by NAC to do this for a three-month period," said Sandy.

"We started with a portfolio, which has students learn about themselves and their family tree, as well as how to do a good resume and those types of things.

"Now we're studying Arctic clothing of the different regions for three weeks, and Bernadette Dean of Rankin is helping with that.

"On Oct. 22 we'll go back to cleaning and working with sealskins."

Sandy said about 30 seals will have been used by the end of the program, and each student will have learned to make a pair of kamiik.

She said each student learns to process sealskin with fur, learning to remove the fur and make it white or black.

"I was asked if some students from Sakku School could come from time to time to watch us work, and that seemed to go over very well.

"I hired elder Susan Angootealuk to help me talk to them, show how to prepare and clean the skins, and explain the tools we use.

"We bought each one an ulu and some of them had a real natural talent for the work.

"It was so good to see these youths so involved."

Sandy said she's happy with the increased programming for traditional skills she's starting to see.

She said there's too many young Inuit mothers who don't know how to properly clean sealskin, and this type of programming is invaluable in helping them learn those skills.

"Because they can't make kamiik, they sell the skins or go to an elder and ask to have them made. "I'm really enjoying being part of this program and helping young mothers learn how to prepare a sealskin.

"I wasn't sure if I could do it when asked this past year, because I still had my husband with me and he was suffering from Alzheimer's.

"Then a bed was found for him in Winnipeg, so I took the job because I like being busy, not sitting around at home."

Sandy said every student she's had so far has been interested in the program.

She said they're very happy to learn the skills and more about their Inuit culture.

"The class I have in Coral show up every day on time and eager to learn.

"They've been so happy to learn and that makes me enjoy teaching this program that much more. "They get to keep a pair of kamiik at the end of the program, either for themselves or a family member."

Sakku teacher Paul Yanchus said one of social studies main themes in Grade 7 to Grade 9 is the circumpolar world and Inuit traditions.

He said hunting and fur processing before, during and after first contact with the outside world is a big part of the students' studies.

"A traditional forum like this is a big help to the kids studying fur-processing history," said Yanchus.

"One of the biggest reasons for initial contact up here was the fur industry. "It was great for the kids to see those practices."

Yanchus said he was impressed with the rapport Sandy had with the students.

He said she kept the youths engaged and constantly extended the invitation for them to try what they were seeing being demonstrated.

"I made a work sheet for some of the students to write their questions on and she was open to that approach.

"She was friendly and approachable, and made everything feel very inclusive.

"You could tell she's spent a lot of time working effectively with kids."

Yanchus said a few of the students excelled at processing the skins.

He said David Adams, in particular, had a natural talent for the work. "He was exceptional at sewing and scraping the skin, and the elders commented on how good he was.

"I even got to make thread out of beluga ligament, and I couldn't believe how strong it was."

Yanchus said when he heard Sandy was coming to Coral, he got his students involved immediately.

He said he took kids over as his schedule permitted, and it was worth the effort.

"Some kids didn't even know what the ligament was and, once they learned about it, they found it quite simple to make thread from.

"I dried some on a piece of cardboard and, after it dried and shrunk, I actually got a musical note from it.

"The kids had a good discussion in class by teaching me the Inuit names for different parts of the animals and what we made from them."

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