'Being able to tell our own stories': Molly of Denali brings Indigenous voices to the fore

Molly of Denali, a new animated children's TV series, is breaking new ground by puttingyoung Indigenous characters front and centre instarring roles and by giving Indigenous creators the opportunity to tell theirown stories.

The lead characterMolly Mabray is a10-year-old with Gwich'in, Dena'ina and Koyukon heritage who lives in Alaska.She'svoiced bySovereign Bill, whobringsher ownMuckleshoot and Tlingit heritage to the role.

Creative producer, Princess DaazhraiiJohnson (who isNeets'aii Gwich'infrom Alaska), said the chance to tell Indigenousstories attracted her to the show, which isa co-production betweenCBC Kids and PBS.

While mostprojectswouldtypically hire one or two Indigenous consultants,Johnson was invited to join a whole team of Indigenous creators one that included well known Alaskan elders to shapeMolly from Denalifrom the start.

How Molly of Denali shares creators' 'native values'

5 years ago

Duration 0:49

Creative producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson on what the animated show's team wants to share with the world.

As a group, they decided to focus onthe values they wanted the series to embody andonly then did they move on to character andstorydevelopment. They chose tohighlight contemporaryIndigenous Alaskan culture while also honouring the past through stories aboutfamily connections, the importance of learning, inquisitivenessand the natural world.

For instance, though she lives in rural Alaska, Molly has a vlog, usesthe Internet and otherwise lives very much in the present.She 's an Indigenous girl who isinterested in the past, but she doesn't dwell there.

'Molly is about creating the new'

5 years ago

Duration 0:58

Creative producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson on the importance of creating contemporary Indigenous stories.

"I grew up without ever seeing anyone that looked like me portrayed in film and television," Johnson said, adding that she welcomed the chance to move beyond depictions of stereotypical Indigenous characters and tell more positive stories.

"Those type of images have a negativeimpact on the self-esteem of our youth in particular," she noted.

"Beingable totell our own stories, to have more narrative sovereignty,was an opportunity that I just felt very passionate and strongly about being a part of."

'Her biggest supporter'

The show's central character is an inquisitive girl who lives in the fictional village of Qyah "population 94, not counting the moose and caribou," Johnson quips where her mum is a bush pilot and her dad runsthe Denali Trading Post.She's joined by her friendsTooey and Trini, as well as her dog Suki,on adventureswhere they canoe, pick blueberries,tapbirch trees for sapand learnto sing and drum to traditional music.

The supportive community surrounding her includes Grandpa Nat, played byCanadian actor Lorne Cardinal.

Lessons from Grandpa Nat

5 years ago

Duration 1:29

Canadian actor Lorne Cardinal on playing an elder and valued family member on Molly of Denali.

Cardinal,perhaps best known for his role on the sitcomCorner Gas,said he loves voicing the character ofan elderwho shares his stories and experiencewith hisgranddaughter.

"I think it's been a long time since somebody asked him to share his knowledge and I love that relationship between him and Molly," he said.

"He's her biggest supporter."

It's important that Grandpa NatencouragesMolly to be inquisitiveand to have the confidence to discoveranswers for herself, Cardinal said, adding thathis ownfamily did the same, while sharing stories of their Cree culture.

"You need to teachchildren young enough ... who they are, and where they come from,their language and who their heroes are."

Tackling difficult storylines

Amidst her adventures, Molly learns some painfulstories about her ownfamily history.In one particular episode, shediscovers the reasonGrandpa Nat no longer sings or drums.

How Molly of Denali tackles residential schools

5 years ago

Duration 2:10

Producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson and actor Lorne Cardinal on the value of exploring the topic for kids.

It's a story that touches onhow theresidential school system stripped Indigenous culture from children and istold with simplicity and sensitivity for Molly of Denali's four to eight-year-old audience.

Cardinal said he hopesyoung viewerswill bewatching, asking questionsand learning right along with their parents.

The seriesis donebyVancouver's Atomic Cartoons, which also produces theNetflix-CBC animated kids' show Beat Bugs.

Molly of Denali premieres with back-to-back episodes on Sept. 2 at 8 a.m. on CBC-TV and online on CBC Gem. It moves to Saturdays at 10 a.m., beginning Sept 7, and will also be available on-demand on CBC Gem.