Traditional Economy

 

 

Traditional Economy School Programs

The SRRB created our first on-the-land school programs in 2004 in response to concerns by local residents about a general lack of youth-oriented traditional skills training. The three pilot projects included Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita, ?ehtseo Ayah School, Deline and Colville Lake School. Chief T’Selehye School in Fort Good Hope undertook their first program the following year and Mackenzie Mountain School started their program in 2007. Each program is specifically tailored to meet the needs of each community. For example, the GNWT Take-A-Kid Trapping Program is designed to introduce young students (K to 5) to basic trapping. This type of project has been very successful in Colville Lake where basically every student in the school is able to participate in day-long excursions and in-class demonstrations by local experts. Other programs are aimed at older students and include 3 to 10 day-long excursions where students are taught survival skills, bush skills, snowmobile maintenance, chainsaw safety, and trapping methods employing Quick Kill traps, snares and deadfalls. Many of these programs have provided Career and Technology Studies Credits towards high school graduation and provide significant incomes through fur sales that are put back into the projects. Our instructors are locally employed elders and other expert residents and every project has a traditional economy component. Our partnership with the schools provides liability insurance and each school has satellite phone communications. Our programs have secured more than $100,000 in inventory over the years and teach youth about respect for the land , respect for other people, working together and hounouring cultural traditions. The SRRB would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Enbridge Pipelines (NW) Inc. and the Government of the Northwest Territories for your support in making these projects successful.

 

 

Tulita
Take-A-Kid Trapping
Program
6 Years

 

Norman Wells
Take-A-Kid Trapping
Program
2 Years

 

Colville Lake
Take a Kid Trapping
Program
7 Years

 

Deline
Aboriginal Traditional
Studies Program
6 Years

 

 

 

 

 

Students out on the land	2004-2010
Tulita	27
Norman Wells	5
Fort Good Hope	18
Colville Lake	41
Total	115