Saskatoon-based tv manufacturing firm, Campfire Tales, has renewed Tales of the North for a second season.
The present is a youngsters’s instructional program that includes Moshom, performed by Morris Cook dinner, and his granddaughters Natanis and Sekwan, who’re performed by Claire Walker and Mya Hoskins-Fiddler.
The present encompasses their life in northern Saskatchewan the place Moshom tells tales, in animated sequences, about his childhood. He teaches the granddaughters a brand new phrase in Cree after every story.
Manufacturing is underway and the brand new season is predicted to air on Citytv Saskatchewan in early 2024.
CBC Information went behind the scenes of the manufacturing and spoke with the forged and creators.
“We aren’t simply instructing them phrases to repeat, we’re truly instructing them the idea of the phrase and the way it suits into the Cree lifeway. That’s an enormous step ahead,” Lee Crowchild, one of many producers, stated.
The brand new season of Tales of the North is about to air early 2024. The primary season was about exposing individuals to Cree whereas season 2 will give attention to relationships with animals, the planet, and one another. The present encompasses life in north Saskatchewan the place in his cabin, Moshom, tells tales in animated sequences, about his childhood, and teaches his granddaughters a brand new phrase in Cree after every story line.
“It’s essential that we cross on our data. Plenty of instances, our data and traditions are steeped in our language… It’s a automobile for us to cross on that language in a way more succinct means.”
Former Chief of Tsuut’ina First Nation Crowchild stated that, in his nation, language immersion in colleges and administration is a strategy to inform how language is intertwined with their beliefs and worldview. He stated season two will resonate with that concept.
It’ll additionally attempt to form confidence in younger viewers — encouraging them to ask questions and to not really feel afraid of getting pronunciations incorrect.
“I play Moshom. I lead the method. I introduce a phrase, they repeat after me and use it within the context of the academic end result we wish to obtain,” Morris Cook dinner, a fluent Cree speaker, stated.
“That is phenomenal as a result of, as everyone knows, languages are dying at an alarming price, that’s not excluding Cree though we’re the biggest Indigenous talking individuals in Canada.”
He stated the tv present is a method to make sure some Cree phrases survive and can nonetheless be recognized amongst youngsters born generations into the long run.
Greater ideas explored this season
Cook dinner stated the second season is about relationships and will likely be full of extra motion. He stated ideas akin to Okâwîmâw Askiy, Cree for Mom Earth, will assist youngsters perceive the significance of preserving the surroundings.
The season may even showcase themes of relationships with animals and one another.
“Phrases like ‘Wâhkôhtowin, how we relate to one another and the way all issues are related with that phrase, so greater ideas are being explored this 12 months.”
Mya Hoskins-Fiddler, who performs the position of Natanis, stated she’s excited to be taking pictures for season two.
“I feel it’s fairly nice that individuals my age and folks which might be youthful get to study extra like Cree language, form of like what I’m studying.”
Indigenous life expertise on TV
Betty Ann Adam, who directed the final season and is directing 4 episodes of the upcoming season, stated she didn’t see any Indigenous youngsters on tv or any Indigenous languages being spoken when she was rising up.
“I like the concept Indigenous youngsters can watch TV and study a number of phrases of Cree, and the non-Indigenous youngsters too. All people can flip it on and see a number of phrases of Cree within the context of Indigenous life expertise,” Adam stated.
Adam stated too typically photos of Indigenous individuals have been related to unhappy tales about residential colleges, excessive charges of incarceration and different points.
“We’re a lot greater than that, proper? We’re people. We’ve got a household. We’ve got traditions. We’ve got our personal methods of gathering meals in sure locations and cooking in sure methods, now we have a worldview that talks about our interrelationship with the pure world and with animals.”