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TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY
Caribou grazing and travelling on the land near Taloyoak were stalked last month by students, some of whom were after their first kill.

Renalda Eetoolook samples a piece of caribou heart during Netsilik School's annual caribou hunt in Taloyoak last month. Some 20 caribous were harvested. - photo courtesy of Netsilik School

Netsilik School's annual caribou hunt last month brought grade 4 to 12 students out on the land with staff and elders. Twenty animals were harvested during the hunts, including one from Grade 12 student Jayko Lyall, who proudly said he shot his first caribou. He added they chased the animal for a while but, in the end, the hunt didn't take long.

"It made me feel really accomplished," he said. "There was a big herd. I shot it, skinned it, butchered it and then gave away all the meat. It was a great experience."

Lyall said he learned how to skin the animal and butcher the meat, something he hadn't done before.

The annual event saw Grade 9 students harvest seven caribou during their Sept. 12 hunt. Then the grade 10 to 12 students, plus two in Grade 8, went out on Sept. 26 and harvested 13 caribou, said George Hill, a teacher at the school. He said they didn't get as many last year.

"It's a bonding experience," said Hill. "They (teachers) get an opportunity to see the students outside of the school, and the kids get a chance to see the teachers out of school."

He added on the earlier hunt, the hamlet was still visible in the distance but for the latter, they went near the Middle and Redfish lakes area.

The students learn how to find the animal, stalk, shoot, skin and butcher it. The meat is shared with family and elders with a portion kept at the school for special events, cooking classes and cultural programs. Students use the skin to learn how to sew items such as mitts, pants and parkas.

"In a lot of cases, the students become the teachers on these trips," said Hill.

The annual hunt is a great experience for all involved, said Hill, and a great learning experience for students and teachers. He said an elder always accompany the trips.

"The elder tries to demonstrate the proper way of skinning a caribou, how to cut it up out on the land and explain some of the uses of some of the organs and things like that," he said. "The elder is bonding with the students - they're teaching while they're out there and they're seeing the kids. In some cases, it's their own grandchild."

Renalda Eetoolook said she had a lot of fun. The Grade 12 student, who said she likes hunting in general, followed a group of students that shot an animal. Eetoolook said she has learned how to better skin caribou.

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