Dechinta, N.W.T.'s 'bush university,' wraps its spring semester

Dechinta, an N.W.T.land-based aboriginal learning centre based on Blachford Lake, near Yellowknife, is graduatingits spring semestercohort in N'dilotoday.

The unique 12-weekprogram, which has been running for nearly six years,mixes academic lectures with traditional aboriginalpractices, includingfish drying,moosehidetanning and cookingmuskox.The program isaffiliatedwith the University of Alberta, from where graduates will receive five native studies credits for the program.

Dechinta'sstudents are taught by elders anduniversity professors, as well asindigenous activists and artists.Seven students will take part in Wednesday evening'sceremony at Kalemi DeneSchool.

• Related:Will and Kate to visit N.W.T. 'bush university'

Mandee McDonald, Dechinta'sprogram manager, says the program isalways growing. This semester,the program offeredits first indigenous contemporary arts course.

It alsomarked the first time agroup of graduates tanned a moosehide from start to finish, says McDonald.

"Students learned to take the hair off and the flesh off," she said, "how to do the softening process. So soaking it in the brain solution, hanging it, scraping it and smoking it."

"It's a lot of work, and the students were working on the moosehides every day, for at least half a day, in order to get it done... It's a pretty big accomplishment for beginning to finish in a short amount of time."

Theprogram is offered twice a year, one in the fall and the other in spring, along with shorter courses in the summer.McDonald says people have already started registering for the fall.