Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit Homeschool in the NWT

When a Dene family in Whatì pulls their child out of the local school, they're not reaching for a boxed curriculum from Ontario. They're asking a different question entirely: how do we pass on what we know to our own child, in our own language, on our own land?

The Northwest Territories' two mandated culture-based programs in public schools — Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit — exist because the territorial government recognizes that Dene and Inuit knowledge systems are full educational frameworks, not extracurriculars. For homeschooling families, these programs offer a practical roadmap for land-based, language-centred education and a framework to discuss with the local school/DEA.

What Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit Actually Are

Dene Kede (meaning "Dene ways" or "Dene teachings") is the K–9 culture-based curriculum for Dene and Métis students across the NWT. It was developed by Dene educators in the 1990s and structured around four interconnected strands: relationship with the land, relationships with others, relationship with the spiritual, and relationship with self. The learning is intentionally spiral — concepts introduced in kindergarten deepen with each grade cycle. The Grade 9 unit includes traditional passage-to-adulthood activities: extended land trips, hunting, community responsibility, and the "Wheel of Respect" framework for conflict resolution.

Inuuqatigiit ("being Inuit") is the parallel K–9 curriculum for Inuvialuit and Inuit students, centred in the Beaufort Delta and Sahtu regions. It covers Inuktitut and Inuvialuktun language, traditional harvesting practices, sea ice knowledge, storytelling, and community governance.

Both curricula are mandated for delivery in NWT public schools under the Education Act. For homeschooling families, they can provide a framework for mapping cultural learning to required subject areas, subject to the assessment method agreed with the principal.

How This Works Legally Under NWT Home Schooling Regulations

Under Section 20(2) of the Education Act and the Home Schooling Regulations (R-090-96), parents register with the principal of their local school, which falls under their Divisional Education Authority or Council (DEA/DEC). The registration requires submitting a proposed educational program for the year.

Here is the practical advantage: the regulations do not require you to replicate the school's exact subject structure. Your program must be "of a satisfactory standard" and cover required areas. Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit are officially recognized programs. Framing your proposed program around these frameworks — particularly for Dene, Métis, Inuvialuit, and Inuit families — can be proposed in the learning plan, but the local principal/DEA still determines how the agreed assessment will document progress.

Bi-annual assessments require submitting portfolio evidence and work samples to the principal. For land-based learning, this means documentation: photographs from hunting or trapping trips, written or recorded elder teachings, maps drawn by the student, harvested materials and their traditional uses, language recordings, and reflective writing. The portfolio should connect activities explicitly to the Dene Kede or Inuuqatigiit strands.

Language Revitalization: The Section 74 Exemption

Section 74 of the Education Act allows parents to apply to the Minister of Education for an exemption permitting instruction in a language other than English or French. This is the legal pathway for families who want to deliver primary instruction in Dènesųłiné, Tłı̨chǫ, South Slavey, North Slavey, Inuvialuktun, or another of the NWT's 11 official languages.

The exemption process involves a written application to the Minister explaining the educational rationale. Approvals are not guaranteed. Families seeking to make an Indigenous language the primary language of instruction should use this application route rather than assume that cultural-language teaching alone creates an exemption.

If there is no formal exemption, do not assume that English-language documentation authorizes a different primary language of instruction. You can still include Indigenous-language learning in the program, but confirm the language-of-instruction position with the principal/DEA.

Locally Developed Courses and High School Credits

For families homeschooling through high school, Locally Developed Courses (LDCs) are a key mechanism. The NWT curriculum framework allows schools to develop courses recognizing traditional activities as formal high school credits. A home educator should work with the local principal/DEA/DEC before treating an activity as an official credit.

Hunter Education is already a recognized 3-credit high school course in the NWT. It covers wildlife acts, survival skills, ethical harvesting, and the Wheel of Respect. Students can complete this through guided land-based learning and document it for transcript purposes.

Beyond Hunter Education, families may document learning activities such as:

• Trapping and fur preparation
• Traditional sewing and hide tanning
• Harvesting medicinal plants
• Boat and komatik maintenance
• Elder interview and oral history projects
• Traditional navigation and land travel

The NWT Senior Secondary Diploma requires 100 credits including 5 credits in Northern Studies — land-based content may be relevant here, but credit treatment must be confirmed with the responsible school/DEA.

What Good Documentation Looks Like

The principal's bi-annual assessment can be a portfolio review rather than a test when that is the method agreed with the principal. For cultural and land-based learning, strong documentation includes:

Activity logs: Dates, locations, activities, who participated (especially elders or community members), duration. A trip to the land for moose hunting should note departure and return, the skills practised, and the student's role.

Student reflections: Written or recorded responses in any language. Even a short paragraph connecting the activity to Dene Kede or Inuuqatigiit strands ("this relates to our relationship with the land because...") demonstrates educational intentionality.

Visual evidence: Photos of completed tasks, harvested materials, tools made or maintained, and maps or crafts. Video can supplement the evidence; confirm acceptable formats with the principal.

Elder or community witness statements: A brief letter or signed note from an elder or community member who participated in the teaching adds weight to the portfolio.

Language samples: If language instruction is part of the program, include recordings, written vocabulary lists, or transcriptions of conversations.

The goal is to make visible what the child learned and how it connects to an educational framework. The less you assume the principal already understands, the stronger your portfolio.

Connecting with Community Resources

The YK Homeschool Community in Yellowknife organizes co-ops, field trips, and skill-sharing sessions that some Indigenous families use to supplement land-based home learning. In smaller communities, the DEA office itself may be able to connect you with other homeschooling families or with elder educators who have worked with home programs before.

The Dene Nation and regional Indigenous governments occasionally provide resources, workshops, or elder-in-residence programs that homeschooling families can access. These are worth asking about directly through your band or community council.

For families navigating the registration process and building a program proposal that clearly grounds cultural education within NWT regulatory requirements, the Northwest Territories Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes jurisdiction-specific registration templates and portfolio documentation frameworks designed for the NWT home education context.

See more Northwest Territories guides →