YELLOWKNIFE - Under the instruction and guidance of Dene elders, students from various schools in the NWT are learning how things used to be done in the north, when people lived off the land and knew how to survive without big box stores and microwave ovens.

Instructor Barb Cameron leads a group of students from K'alemi Dene school and William McDonald school in Dene games. - Ben Morgan/NNSL photo

The Traditional Life Skills aims to teach the traditional techniques and skills of the past to the next generation - to preserve the knowledge and cultural history of first nations.

In the first two weeks of June, over 100 students from various schools across the region participated in the project - set along the Yellowknife River at a place known to the Yellowknife Dene as Weledeh.

These children are taught how to tan moose hide, how to prepare traditional foods and how to play Dene games.

They also learn about plants, animals and the land, culture and history.

It's the third year of the program and one highlight each year is the assembly of a traditional birch bark canoe, built this year in Yellowknife, thanks to the expertise of volunteers.

They used traditional material and techniques in the manufacture of the craft.

Supported by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment's Take a Kid Trapping Program, the initiative has seen over 4,000 youth participate in various aspects of the project over the past six years.

Tourism and Investment Minister Bob McLeod said the original people of the territory have a long, proud history of self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

"The transfer of traditional life skills ensures that these values are sustainable - and important social and cultural links are maintained to the land and its resources," he said.

Students from K'alemi Dene School in Ndilo and another class from William MacDonald Middle School in Yellowknife were at the site on June 12 for their turn.

After an opening prayer, students were split into groups and took their turn at different activities, including tanning moose hides and plucking duck to be cooked. They had a chance to play some Dene games, learning eye-hand coordination skills useful for hunting, for starters.

Elders also taught traditional games illustrating the importance of teamwork.

Coordinator Guy Erasmus said all these skills are very important to preserve in order to maintain the heritage of the first northern peoples and to ensure the children will be capable of passing on the knowledge they learn.

"It helps for the kids to get their hands in it and learn about it for themselves."

Some of the children collected spruce sap, which has several applications. It was applied to the birch bark canoe to help seal it together and help waterproof it.

But one grade 10 student from K'alemi Dene School told Yellowknifer the sap could also be used as a Band-Aid to mend a cut or wound, she said.

Barb Cameron, who was teaching at the camp, further explained that spruce sap has antiseptic properties.

She said sap can be boiled into a tea, helping to heal sore throats and sinus congestion.

The project is just one of the many traditional life skills projects provided annually for school-aged youth by Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) who are partnered with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, and Environment and Natural Resources.