Duni zuz ‘utilnilh, ‘tanning moose-hide’: weaving Dakelh (Indigenous) intangible cultural heritage transmission with academia

After many years of colonisation and oppressive policies, Indigenous cultures in Canada are reviving elements of their cultural heritage. As such, numerous Indigenous communities are working with higher learning institutions to safeguard elements of their heritage, specifically, knowledge and land-based practices. In this article, we discuss one case study of Dakelh (Indigenous) knowledge- holders that merged the practice of traditional moose-hide tanning with academic components surrounding issues in cultural heritage. With the intention of transmitting information about the field of ICH as well as safeguarding one Dakelh intangible cultural heritage element, we developed an experiential-learning university course that grounded theoretical issues in Indigenous cultural heritage. In discussing our methodology of merging the two ways of learning and teaching, including the benefits and challenges of such a course, the article elaborates how the combination of traditional and academic methodologies in a university setting can help Indigenous communities transmit their intangible cultural heritage to younger generations.