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The much-anticipated camp Students learn from the land during culture outing
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 6, 2013
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Tamara Deneyoua-Nahanni was so excited on May 29 she had a hard time sleeping.
Kylan Antoine hangs moose meat to dry over a smoky fire during Bompas Elementary School's culture camp on May 30. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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The eight-year-old knew the next day she and her classmates in Class 4 at Bompas Elementary School were going to culture camp. The school holds culture camps so students can, "have fun and do Dene things," Deneyoua-Nahanni said.
Her favourite culture camp activities include going fishing and cleaning the catches, making dry meat and bannock and taking part in archery. Deneyoua-Nahanni said she would choose culture camp any day over being in her classroom.
"I really like it," she said.
Bernice Gargan, the school's Dene language instructor, is very familiar with the excitement the spring and fall culture camps create. The students start talking about the spring camp in January, she said.
At home, despite all of the electronics they have, students often say they are bored. At camp, no one says they are bored, said Gargan.
"They love hands-on stuff," she said.
"At the end of the day, they don't want to come back (to town)."
All of the classes at Bompas were scheduled to go to the camp between May 28 and June 4. Every class stayed for a day, except for Class 5, which remained overnight.
The school holds the camps at a site across the Mackenzie River from the community. The land, which was used by Joseph Tonka's family, used to be a gathering place for people from different areas, said Gargan. Drum dances and handgames were held at the site.
Elder Jane Grossetete, Tonka's wife, accompanied the classes to camp. The camps are, in part, about just enjoying what the land provides, said Gargan.
"It makes me feel so good to be out," she said.
Fishing, archery and hiking to the falls are among Kylan Antoine's favourite things to do at the camp.
"It's fun," he said.
At the camp, Antoine, 8, said he learns, "how to do Dene things."
For Marie Anderson, 10, all of the activities are fun. Anderson said she particularly likes hiking to the falls and making things by whittling.
"It's better than doing school work," she said. "I'm learning how to make a fire and how to survive on the land."
Anderson was among the students who tried to start fires using flint and a striker. It's hard work, she said because there were lots of sparks but no fire.
During the week, students also planted a garden, checked snares, made bannock and learned about different medicinal plants. Gargan introduced wild carrots, which are healthy, poplar sap and punk wood, which is used to smoke hides. She also showed students pine tree gum, which is good for healing small cuts on hands, and spruce gum, which is good for larger cuts.
The students just really enjoy coming to culture camp, she said.
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