ARCTIC RED RIVER - Renie Koe grew up in Fort McPherson, where she was surrounded by traditional Gwich'in culture.

For instance, she said she remembers her father Abraham Koe speaking fluent Gwich'in in the house.

Renie Koe reads "the boy in the moon," a traditional Dene story, with her daughter Angela at Chief Paul Niditchie school on March 28. She has been teaching the Gwich'in language to students through songs, stories and conversation. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

In today's world, she said, this is a very rare skill.

Indeed, despite being the Aboriginal Language assistant at Chief Paul Niditchie school in Tsiigehtchic, Koe said her grasp of Gwich'in is still incomplete.

"I am learning as I'm teaching," she said.

Having worked at the Tsiigehtchic school for about 10 years, Koe said she recently started teaching Gwich'in to young students there, in both written and spoken form.

Last October, she posted signs around the school, which show phrases like good morning (Vahn Gwiinzii), good day (Drin Gwiizii) and good evening (Khahtsat Gwiinzii).

These phrases are spoken throughout the day, she said, and students are encouraged to try a few words in Gwich'in so the language is preserved.

"Students learn by having it integrated into the everyday," said fellow teacher Leanna Barnes.

Both Koe and Barnes also agreed it's important to reach students when they are young, and their ability to learn language is highest.

"Without having immersion in kindergarten and Grade 1 it's an uphill battle," Barnes said.

Koe added the easiest way to teach kids is through songs and games.

For instance, she said students sometimes play a game called "the wolf," which is like tag ñ except the only way to escape is to count in Gwich'in.

Another method is reading traditional stories and singing rhymes.

Angela Koe, who is Renie's nine-year-old daughter, is among the students at Chief Paul Niditchie school.

She said she already knows a few word in Gwich'in, such as the names for weather, polite hellos and good-byes, and some animal names.

This is an encouraging sign, Koe said, since it means the Gwich'in language is being passed down to future generations, one word at a time.