LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Wilson Pellissey was an adviser to chiefs, a hunter, trapper and a medicine man.

This is what Lia Fabre-Dimsdale found out about her great-grandfather while conducting research for her NWT Heritage Fair project.

Shaznay Waugh, 7, poses with her NWT Heritage Fair project on the history of St. David's Anglican Church. Waugh's display shows the church's original and current building design. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"I thought he was very special to me," she said. "I wanted to show people how special he was."

Standing in front of her project in Bompas Elementary School on May 5, Lia, a Class 4 student, was at ease while sharing information about her relative.

Pellissey was a Mountain Dene who lived a nomadic lifestyle when he was younger but later settled in Tulita. He knew how to make moose skin boats and was respected by many people, she said.

To gather information for her project, Lia interviewed her grandfather George Dimsdale, her aunt Doris Pellissey and Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jim Antoine.

"I'm really proud of it, of what I did," she said of her project.

Lia will soon have the chance to share information about her great-grandfather with a larger audience. She's been chosen as one of four students from the Deh Cho to participate in the territorial showcase in Yellowknife from May 15 to 16. Other students include Madison Pilling of Fort Simpson and Rochelle Yendo and Elisa Hazenberg of Wrigley.

The NWT Heritage Fairs, formerly known as Historica Fairs, are all about students' connections to their community and history, said Brian Jaffray, the president of NWT Heritage Fairs.

"It celebrates the cultural tradition of any group," Jaffray said.

Students are encouraged to choose a topic of a historical nature that means something to them. Projects are often about family histories, a practice the fair encourages because there's so much to be learned in that area, Jaffray said.

As part of their projects students have to be comfortable giving a verbal presentation. It's a good skill set for them to learn, Jaffray said.

Shaznay Waugh, 7, had no troubles explaining her project on St. David's Anglican Church.

Waugh chose the Fort Simpson church as her topic because it's close to her school, and she found out it's where her aunt, uncle and her father were baptized.

"I never knew that," she said.

Waugh traced the history of the church starting from the mission established in 1858 to the first church built in 1861. The current building was constructed in 1930.

Doing a Heritage Fair project was optional this year for students as Bompas. Waugh said she decided to do the extra work because she enjoys doing projects and likes learning about history.

"I really like it," she said of her finished product.