Yellowknife (Feb 01/06) - It was a cold and blustery week, but St. Joseph students braved that and more to have Dene elders share their traditional experiences.

Grade 8 volunteers alongside cultural programmers put up several large teepees on school grounds.

Eighty-three-year old elder Judy Charlo remembers living in iglus and keeping babies warm by holding them in the sled.

"They liked to travel," she said.

The traditional dwellings were supposed to provide shelter for students while elders shared traditional knowledge.

Instead, students made hot chocolate and cooked bannock on a stick over the fires, leaving the storytelling for warmer classrooms.

Students also heard traditional drumming. Kindergarten teacher Stephany White has taught at St. Joe's for four years. She said it's a positive experience for students to be exposed to traditional cultures.

"It's good to see people we don't normally see and hear their stories," she said. "We're sometimes isolated from culture."

Sahara Lafferty is in the French immersion kindergarten class. She said she really enjoyed "eating bannock and drinking hot chocolate."

Dianne Lafferty helped organize setting the teepees up.

"We've had some bad luck this week with the teepees. The first day they almost blew away and because of the cold snap we took them down a little earlier than planned."

Overall she said students have really enjoyed the experience.