29-05-2025
A Whitehorse high school now has an Njel. That sets a precedent, vice principal says
There was a time when Njels were everywhere across the land.
"These are the types of houses we would have lived in," said Harold Johnson, a Southern Tutchone knowledge keeper.
"There was [sic] towns, villages, even cities."
Now the traditional, full-sized dwelling stands tall once more, behind Porter Creek Secondary School in Whitehorse. It's at the centre of a camp called Ǹtsǟw Chù Kets'edän Kų̀, which means "the learning house at Wild Rhubarb Creek" — the original name of the area.
It's here all students will experience first-hand the transfer of traditional knowledge. That includes stories from Elders and land-based learning like hide tanning.
Hundreds attended a ceremony hosted by the school Wednesday, with speakers saying the Njel deepens and solidifies cultural connections — both at the school and the community at large.
Funded by the Arctic Inspiration Prize and the Yukon government, Johnson and Meta Williams designed and built the Njel. Students helped. With the exception of a massive cedar log from Vancouver Island at the top, the house is built mostly of local spruce, the boughs of which cover the floor.
"To learn like this in a traditional structure is so much more [beneficial]," Johnson said. "You're not explaining how a house looks, you're actually in it. Right off the bat, [the students] totally get it, you know?
"There's no words that I can say. This house speaks for itself, basically. You just gotta see it."
'If you live here, you need to learn about living here'
Vice-principal Nicole Cross said the urban traditional camp sets a high bar, and at a school where at least 40 per cent of youth are First Nations.
"I think what this means for the school is the ability to be able to truly incorporate cultural learning on a scale that isn't precedented really," she said.
"We want to make sure we're honouring that knowledge and that culture."
The Njel provides a space for cultural teachings and ceremony while making place-based learning accessible to everyone.
"Where are students going to learn about it if not on the land, where it comes from?" she said. "This is a traditional building of this land.
"If you live here, you need to learn about living here."
As for what instruction will look like, Cross said to start — teachings about the Njel.
"What is its meaning, why is it here, how was it built, and its traditional uses," she said. "Then any kind of learning. It's the space itself that is part of the magic. It's a living thing in itself."
Cross hopes students from other schools can experience the Njel too, and that elders come by on a regular basis.
"It's a bit of a scaffolded situation," she said, noting students continue to work on the building and take part in a nearby hide camp, which is on this week.
"When I say the students are driving it, they're driving it."
