Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 05, 2007

INUVIK - When Margaret Nazon introduces students in her Traditional Arts class it almost resembles a regional artists' conference.

There are people from almost every Beaufort Delta community, including Fort McPherson, Tuktoyaktuk and Tsiigehtchic. Even Yellowknife and Rankin Inlet are represented with one student each.

That's pretty diverse for a class of 11 students, Nazon said.

Teaching at Aurora College in Inuvik, Nazon, originally from Tsiigehtchic, has been teaching people to sew, bead and make tools from antler and bone for three years.

The skills she teaches, she said, could lead to a fulfilling hobby, or a career, which is why the course also covers product development, marketing and the history of the arts trade.

"There are a number of projects," Nazon said, when asked what students are taught.

"Our end project is a lined vest."

On Feb. 22, as she looked over students' projects, Nazon examined sealskin boots, beaded dresses and tools made of caribou antler. She added that two frozen moose hides would be brought to the college later that week, so that Fort McPherson teacher Dorothy Alexie could show students how they are softened and tanned.

As she held a beaver skin donated by a local trapper, Nazon explained that traditional fur goods aren't easy to make.

Before a single stitch is made on a pair of mittens, the tough hides must be softened with products such as baking powder and dish soap.

As well, they must be scraped and broken by near-endless kneading. It can take hours, she said, and students must prepare for a challenge.

"It's a lot of work," she said with a laugh.

"I think they are realizing how much work is involved in making traditional crafts."