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Learning traditional culture Students connect with elders to create crafts
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 6, 2013
INUVIK
Inuvik elder Sam Lennie is making sure East Three students are on the cutting edge of maintaining their connection with traditional culture.
Alora Simon, a Grade 7 student at East Three Secondary School, with a traditional ulu knife she made during a class led by elder Sam Lennie. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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Lennie has been teaching students from East Three Secondary School in recent weeks to craft traditional ulu knives.
It's been a new experience for most of the students, including Megan Lennie, Sam's granddaughter. She said she knows how to use one of the knives, but had never before had the chance to craft one.
"I made a fish hook with him once though," she said.
It was also all new to Alora Simon, a Grade 7 student originally from New Brunswick. She's been attending East Three for about four months now while living with her mother.
She's a member of the Mi'kmaq nation who's intensely curious about aboriginal culture in the North.
The 13-year-old said she wanted to experience as much of Gwich'in and Inuvialuit culture and traditions as she could while she was here.
"I find everything really interesting," she said.
The process began with pre-fabricated knife blades that needed handles and then sharpening. Many of the students opted to use sections of musk-ox horn for the handles, which had to be sectioned and sanded.
"That was a full morning's work," said Alora. "It was fun."
She said she's seen somewhat similar workshops on traditional culture at home, but not quite to the extent found in the delta region.
East Three vice-principal Lorne Guy watched the process with a considerable amount of interest.
He recalled watching a fish-cleaning competition at the Arctic Games about 10 years ago, when he had newly arrived in Inuvik. He couldn't remember the name of the winner, but her skill with the ulu made a deep impression.
The competition involved the fastest time to clean three fish, he explained.
"She filleted the fish in four strokes," Guy remembered. "It took her about 10 seconds a fish, and she ended the last one with a flourish, using the ulu to cut its head off in one stroke."
Lennie thought he remembered the woman as well, although he couldn't quite recall the name.
"I think she was the best woman three years running," he said.
While many people are still familiar with the use of an ulu, Lennie said not many people are making them now.
He said he learned the skill from his father more than 40 years ago, and enjoys passing the craft on to youngsters now.
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