Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, April 13, 2007

WRIGLEY - Slavey was recently the language of choice for students at the Chief Julian Yendo school for three days.

From March 14-16 approximately 25 students in Wrigley had the opportunity to participate in a Slavey language camp.

Six elders from the community were invited to the school to speak Slavey with the students while they participated in a number of traditional activities. The goal was to increase the usage of Slavey, said teacher Pamela Waygood.

Elders were placed at each of the stations to help students along and encourage them to speak Slavey.

Adele Hardisty and Mary-Alice Christopher were at the traditional toy station where students made dolls, sleds and dog teams, Rosie Horesay looked after knitting, Charlie Tale oversaw soap carving and woodworking while Cecelia Yendo and Mary Nayally did sewing and beading. School staff member Cawley Hardisty ran a fiddle and guitar session while Annie Baton did a cooking course in Slavey.

The camp was a hit with students.

"The kids really enjoyed the activities," said Waygood.

Students rotated through the stations for two days and on the third day were allowed to pick their own activity. Most returned to the traditional toys.

"The kids just loved making the traditional toys," said Waygood.

Making traditional toys out of fabric and cardboard was the highlight of the camp for both Janelle Bruneau and Napem Oskenekisses.

Bruneau, 10, made two female dolls and then created a sled for them. Oskenekisses, 11, made an Inuit doll couple complete with a dog team and sled.

"It was cool," he said.

Playing the fiddle at the music session was also a hit with Oskenekisses who got to practise his favorite songs.

Both students attempted to follow the reason for the camp. Bruneau used some of her Slavey words including thank-you, names of animals and colors.

"I tried," she said.

Bruneau said she enjoys speaking Slavey.

"I think it's really good," she said.

Oskenekisses said he pulled out the words for goodbye and good morning to try and use at the camp.

The Dehcho Divisional Education Council provided funding for the camp. The council has an amount of funding allotted to provide support for schools that are doing projects to support the Slavey language, said Nolan Swartzentruber, the superintendent of council. The funding is part of the ongoing effort to promote language and culture, said Swartzentruber.

"Our first priority is to support language," he said.