Part II: Implementation: Seven Steps to Dene Kede

Step Three: The Dene Drummers

In any traditional Dene gathering, drummers are crucial in that they provide the basic framework for others to join in and and to become a part of the event. Drummers are always accountable to the other people who come to participate. Drummers must judge the mood and the needs of the people and reflect these in the way that they drum. The people have the option of not participating if the drumming does not capture their mood or their needs, or if they deem the drummers to lack skill, harmony and/or integrity.

At the school level, a team is organized to implement the Dene Kede program. This team consists of the principal, Community Education Committee member(s), Dene teacher, and core subject teacher(s). Once the long term plan is sketched out and the community becomes involved (step 4), then the team is responsible for the ongoing delivery of the program. (See pages 8-11 of this Teacher's Resource Manual).

It is recommended that the team meet at the beginning of the school year to tentatively..

• identify key cultural experiences by season for the various grades
• schedule experiences (allocate time)
• identify required resources (elders, community people, materials, AV aids) and secure funding

It should be decided who will be responsible for the following:

• gathering of material resources
• contacting resource people
• planning and organizing key experiences
• planning and delivery of integrated core subjects (including Dene as a First Language)
• planning and delivery of second language instruction
• planning and delivery of Dene concepts, attitudes and skills

Not all key experiences will require the presence of a community resource person or elder. Many of the less complicated key experiences (such as making snares or cleaning rabbits or making caribou stew) can be delivered by the Dene teacher him/herself.

The Dene teacher is responsible for all classroom based learning activities which will reinforce the concepts, skills and attitudes integral to the key experiences, as well as for all the Dene language learning activities which evolve from the key experiences.

Core subject teachers are encouraged to follow the thematic units of the Dene Kede teachers so that the core subjects will reinforce the importance of the key cultural experiences as well as enable the integration of the subject areas.