A Traditional Design That Has Stood the Test of Time

Waterhen Lake Students to take Science Project to Nationals

By Armand LaPlante for Indigenous Times Newspaper

Two bright young Aboriginal high school students from Waterhen Lake First Nation will be making their way to the Canada-Wide Science Fair this May in Prince Edward Island. 

As part of Aboriginal Achievement week at the U of S, Jamison Witchekan and Andrew Abraham were invited by a college of Engineering rep to present their science project to a room full of university students, professors and Science consultants. Their project, which displayed the heading: “The Traditions of the Canoe”, drew comparisons between traditional designs of the canoe and their continued implementations in technology of today. The presentation itself was very intricate and included many interesting examples of how the traditional design of canoes has “stood the test of time.”

Elizabeth Conner, Program Administrator for Cameco Access Program for Engineering & Science, invited the two to present during Aboriginal Achievement Week after being drawn visually to their presentation and realizing that this was a good demonstration of the relation between engineering and traditional Aboriginal knowledge. “The guys were so enthusiastic about it; they were excited about the topic. It’s great to see two young men really interested in science; I know Jamison is really interested in mechanical engineering and Andrew is really interested in computer science” states Conner.

After the presentation, the two youth were available to explain further and answer questions, but also ask questions. Both understood the prestige of the Canada-Wide Science Fair and were taking advice in order to fine-tune their presentation before heading to PEI in May.