INTRODUCTION TO ANTLER CARVING:<br> YUKON COLLEGE

INTRODUCTION TO ANTLER CARVING:
YUKON COLLEGE - ALICE FROST CAMPUS 2003-4

November 25, 2003 to January 15, 2004
Old Crow, Yukon, Canada

Students: Derrick Kapuschak, Tracey Kapuschak, Norma McCarra, Esau Schaefer, Kai Rannik, Birch Howard, Martina Carroll, Hal Frost, Maureen Vittrekwa

It was my great pleasure to travel to Old Crow, the northernmost community in Yukon, to deliver an introductory antler carving course. My first!

The community of Old Crow is home to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, who have lived in the area for thousands of years. They hunt caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd to support an age-old subsistence lifestyle. Though nothing from the caribou is wasted, the antlers are currently not used, and there has been resistance to selling them off to foreign potency markets.

In the interests of developing a diversified economy, based on adding value to the natural resources of the area, this carving course was organized.

The course included an introduction to the properties of antler as an artistic medium, tools, design considerations, techniques, finishing and mounting strategies, and some marketing suggestions.

I would like to thank Yukon College, the Alice Frost Campus Committee and the students, for their patience and good will during the course. It was a great learning experience for all concerned!

Signing off from Old Crow, Shane