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Well-known Kivalliq Elder Barney Tootoo, of Rankin Inlet, has spent a fair amount of time over the years teaching traditional skills to local youth.

Tootoo sometimes worries that interest among teenagers for learning traditional Inuit skills is waning, and a little too quickly for his liking.

Tootoo said what always encouraged him were the kids who really wanted to learn and brought a high level of intensity out on the land; the largest outdoor classroom.

He said among the youth he's worked with, there's always a group of them who are very keen to learn and are always asking him to explain or demonstrate how he did this or that back in the day.

"Well, back in the day we didn't have Ski-Doos and everything," said Tootoo. "It was all dog teams back then.

"These guys today jump up on the sled, start the Ski-Doo and they're gone.

"There's plenty of guys now who use what we taught them as youth. They're a little older now and they're doing very well out on the land. It's always a good feeling to see a youth I've taught fairly recently and he seems to be doing well with what he learned."

Tootoo acknowledges that, overall, the level of traditional skills among Inuit youth is fading rather rapidly.

That's not all the fault of young people, however, because the number of skilled hunters willing to help youth learn is also dwindling far too quickly, he adds.

"I'm 77 now and my knees are bad, so I'm not up to teaching groups of youth anymore. I do like it when my grandson wants to go out with me, though, then I go out with just me and him, or me, him and another guy, but that's it.

"I enjoyed any chance I ever got to work with the youth and teach them some skills. That's 100 per cent, man.

"It was always a lot of fun. And I knew some of them were ready, willing and able to help too, and that's half of the battle. 

"We worry a little bit when we see some of the youth head out on the land in the winter, but, most of the kids we taught, I'm pretty sure today that they've learned and are smart enough to know that if something does come up, they'll be heading straight back home — at least I hope so. I just hope more hunters and Elders who can still manage step up and teach the youth who want to learn, so the traditional skill levels among the next generation stay reasonable, if not a little on the high side.

"Only time will tell."