Kathleen Lippa
Northern News Services

Baker Lake (Apr 07/04) - Diana Arnauyok will never forget the first time she made bannock.

It was March 16, and Arnauyok was out on the land, about 20 km from her home in Baker Lake, with elders and a couple of other students from Jonah Amitnaaq high school.

The students were in a class like no other; a new land skills program that has been designed to bring the traditional ways into Grade 6-9 students' lives.

The program began March 10 and continues until May 31.

Teacher Sheila Mariq and the principal of the school, Gerald Kelly, developed the program to give students solid grounding in traditional skills.

"Parents are very excited about it," said Mariq. "The students get excited about it, too. It's good to see," she said.

As a teacher, Mariq admits it is disheartening what a poor grasp some students have of Inuktitut.

"I'm worried when they're taking their Inuktitut classes," she said.

The land skills program is useful because it forces the students to communicate with elders who prefer speaking in Inuktitut, she said.

Skills like iglu building and meat and skin preparation must be kept up, too, Mariq said.

"I think it's good to learn how to build a shelter," said Mariq. "They also learn how to make an ice chisel, and an ice scoop."

Elders Hugh Tulurialiak and Simon Tookoomie, and Irene Kaluraq and Irene Tiktaalaaq were hired by the school to take groups of four students at a time out on the land for three full days. Weather permitting, they even spend one night in an iglu.

The elders chose the Prince River area for the camps because it is known as a good area for hunting.

The students learn how to pack a sled and cook traditional food. Some duties are divided by sex: boys learn how to skin a caribou, the girls learn how to butcher the meat.

On March 16 the elders and youth harvested three caribou. The students also learned about direction and finding their way back to camp.

By the end of May, Mariq hopes that every student from Grade 6 to 9 -- about 60 in all -- will have gone out.

In order to see the program survive, though, the school needs more funding.

This year the school used money left over from an unfilled Cultural Inclusion Instructor position.

Mariq said the school would need $100,000 to offer the program next year.

"Our hope is that all the junior high students will get to go," said Mariq.