Inuit Culture Days

Due to the size of our school, this year's Culture Day festivities were spread over two days. Tuesday was the day for primary students. After the drive by skidoo through the trees to a small lake to the east of town, students arrived at a tent village where elders had already begun preparing tea, soups, fish and bannock for lunch, shared stories and were demonstrating traditional skills. The smiling faces and excited giggles could be heard all around the lake as the kids played games with a sealskin ball, snow shoed through the trees and slid down the hill on seal skin slides.    



On Wednesday, secondary students enjoyed an incredible time of learning as more elders came out to teach them survival skills of the past. Peter Morgan finished carving a kakivak from a tree he had cut down the day before. Johnny Sam Annanack showed the step by step process of putting a net under the ice with just a log and a y-shaped stick then had students try it for themselves. Susie Morgan demonstrated how to clean an otter skin to be used for mitts and many others were around to talk about life in the old days. During both days, one of the highlights was when Daniel Annanack and Leevan Etok took students for a run through the trees on their dogsleds.



The Culture Days were, yet again, a great success and a special way to celebrate together before the Easter Break. It will not soon be forgotten! Many thanks to the organizing committee! A very big thanks to NPE for funding Culture Day.

Text by Gillian Warner

Click here to see the gallery of photos.