 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
Deline student tells stories of home in Africa Hannah Taneton hopes other NWT youth take advantage of Northern Youth Abroad program
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 30, 2013
DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
Hannah Taneton spread the word about Deline and the Northwest Territories to people in Botswana during this year's Northern Youth Abroad trip.
Hannah Taneton, a Grade 12 student at Ehtseo Ayha School in Deline, travelled to Botswana, Africa, with Northern Youth Abroad in July. - photo courtesy of Hannah Taneton |
Taneton and youth from across the North travelled to Ramotswa in Botswana, Africa in July during the Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) program. One aspect of the program included sharing sessions where NYA members and their hosts taught each other about their cultures.
"We did presentations about our hometowns, what we do here and what brought us all the way to Africa," Taneton said. "I told them about Deline."
Taneton said she told the group that Deline has a population of about 500 people, and talked about the community's schools and stores.
She also talked about the area's natural features. Deline is located on the shore of Great Bear Lake.
"We told them about our lake and our land and our history, like old legends," she said.
Taneton said she shared the story of Yamoria, who saved the people from the giant beavers that lived in Great Bear Lake. The legend tells that the beavers didn't like people travelling across the lake and would use their giant tails to splash water and tip their canoes. Yamoria hunted the beavers and pegged three of the hides to Bear Rock Mountain.
Taneton said people enjoyed hearing the story.
"They were really interested in our hometown and they were interested in our culture," she said.
Taneton said she talked about the types of activities that keep kids in her community busy.
"We told them in the evenings we play sports like soccer and volleyball," she said.
Everyone exchanged information about traditional games as well, including Dene and Inuit games. The people from Ramotswa also taught the NYA students about themselves.
"They showed us their culture as well, the dances and singing. They told us the meaning behind it," she said. "It was really interesting and entertaining."
The NYA students spent time at the local youth centre and helped build benches. They learned about how HIV and AIDS has impacted adults and children in Africa.
Taneton said the group also participated in a camping trip to spend time with the San people, who still live as a hunting and gathering society.
NYA students learned about the "click language," formally known as the Khoisan language, which is still spoken by the San.
"They were really interesting," Taneton said. "The way they spoke their language, it sounded so cool."
Taneton said passing along their traditions and language is an important aspect of San daily life.
"They were telling us they are losing their culture, they wanted us to remember it," she said. "Their culture means so much, they're so strong in their language. Their youth are trying to learn it."
During their travels, the group went on a safari where they saw a hippopotamus, lions, elephants and monkeys.
They also went to Tsodilo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that holds ancient cave paintings.
Now that she's home, Taneton said she and her brother Garred, who also took part in the program, plan to share as much as they can about the trip with fellow students.
The pair are scheduled to give a presentation about what they learned within the next few months.
Taneton said she hopes the presentation will motivate others to apply for the program.
| 
