Tow Hill story and more

Well, my gig with NWCC ended at the end of January of this year. I am now back to being a free agent. I've met with the Lucy Bell from the Haida Language group, and I've been working with Jaalen Edenshaw in preparation for making another two Haidawood movies. We are scheduled to start on Monday April 2nd.

The first story we will be telling is the Tow Hill story, which tells how the iconic Tow Hill came to be. I am living on Tow Hill these days with Lady Shannon and JJ, so this is an especially relevant story for me. It is an honour to be able to help tell it!

We still haven't decided on the second story, but we can figure that out later in April.

On the Gwaii

It's been a while since I've posted. I am now working for Northwest Community College in the capacity of Director of Education for Haida Gwaii. I've been in the position for about 6 months, learning about how the College operates, and working on translating ideas into real world programs. NWCC has 3 small campuses on Haida Gwaii: my home campus at the Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate, a campus in the Queen Charlotte Community Centre, and a campus in Masset near the old hospital. I am especially interested in finding ways for the College to help support the Haida language effort here. NWCC has developed a Haida language curriculum, and I have secured some funds to adapt that curriculum for the Skidegate dialect. My hope is to offer a Haida language course in the Spring of 2012 in the Skidegate dialect here at the Haida Heritage Centre. In Masset they have a strong language group, but there is a great need for Haida language curriculum here in Skidegate, and my hope is that the College can help meet that need.

Last year I applied for funds from the Canada Council to make another set of movies in partnership with Xaad Kihlgaa Hl Suu.u (the Haida language group in Masset). That application was successful. It's been a challenge to find time to make the movies now that I have got a very busy, fun, and challenging job. I have been looking for ways to bring the project within the College (so I can work on it as part of my job, and leverage the resources of the College to support the language effort here on-island), possibly by running the project as a course through NWCC's school of Workforce Training and Continuing Studies. If successful, the course could eventually be moved through the Education Council and become a university credit course within the First Nation Studies Program. This would allow students to get university credit for learning to make Aboriginal language movies. It would also mean that other Aboriginal communities within NWCC's service area (including the Tlingit, Tahltan, Nisga'a, Gitxsan, Tsimshian, Wet'suwet'en, and Haisla people) would have an opportunity to learn to make their own language movies in support of their own efforts to preserve and promote their language and culture.

There are some other interesting language efforts happening here on Haida Gwaii. On July 29th, there will be a book launch of a book of photography entitled "That Which Makes Us Haida: The Haida Language". The book features photos of prominent Haida community members involved in the language effort. The pictures were taken by Farah Nosh, whom I've met a few times back in the day up in Masset. Another interesting project is the Skidegate Education Council's decision to fund a Haida language App for the iPad. I very much appreciate their efforts to use technology to engage youth and make the language accessible. One day I'd like to make a Haida language movie here in Skidegate. In the meantime, there are tentative plans for the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program (SHIP) to dub the existing Haidawood movies into the Skidegate dialect.

I myself still only know a few words of Haida, mostly in the Masset dialect. Now that I've got a baby (Journey James, who is now one and a half), a partner (the lady Shannon) and a busy job, it seems to be more challenging than ever to learn the language. I am hoping to take a course. The good news is that the language is written phonetically, so in principle, once you know how to sound out the syllables, it should be possible to access the written material that seems to be available (including a phrase book put out by SHIP). I guess we'll see.

Visited Lil'Wat land

Kúkwstumckacw to the Lil'Wat Cultural Centre in Mount Currie for meeting with me around the possibility of making some movies up there in the Lil'Wat language (Ucmalmicwts). Together, we have a grant in to the Canada Council to make some animated language movies. I got to show some of the Haidawood movies, and also got to see some examples of Lil'Wat art and weaving. While I was up there, I also visited the Squamish-Lil'Wat Cultural Centre in Whistler. There they have a beautiful world-class facility, including a beautiful theatre space.

Looking for work and teaching animation course

Well, I am disappointed to report that the Canada Council grant to make some movies with the kwakwaka'wakw people did not come through. So, I am now looking for other gigs in the Victoria area. I have arranged to teach a weekly animation course at the Paint Box in Fernwood. And, I am going to need to string together some other gigs to help make ends meet this summer. Please contact me if you have any leads!

Blue Card

I got a blue card on our application to the Canada Council to make two movies with the Kwakwaka'wakw people of Fort Rupert. The grant was submitted under the auspices of the Constant Arts Society. The blue card is good sign. Now we'll have to wait to hear if we have the funding or not to do the project. I'm hoping we'll get to go up there for May and June.

Success!

Had a nice showing of the two most recent Haidawood movies here in Victoria at the Event Centre. The evening was organized by Megan Hetherington of Set Monkey Productions... I enjoyed the movies I got to watch, and got some nice compliments on the Haidawood movies and some good discussion too.

New Haidawood Movies on Isuma TV

I just posted the latest Haidawood movies on Isuma TV. You can watch Yaanii K'uuka here and The Golden Spruce here. Please go and leave a comment! Note that it helps to have Isuma in the high-bandwidth mode. Also, you can download the movies as a podcast for your iPod.

Workshop Results

Today I lead a workshop on using animation to help record and celebrate First Nation languages. I was up late making puppets, and we used them to good effect today. Here is the result of our labours: a short movie with one line of Giksan dialog. The movie is called "Honey I'm Home."

Heading to Vancouver tomorrow

Tomorrow I am headed to Vancouver to participate in a First Nations Language Conference sponsored by the First Peoples' Heritage Language and Cultural Council and the First Nations Education Steering Committee. Lucy Bell and I will be co-hosting a workshop entitled "Celebrating Your Language in the Modern World." I plan to focus on the different steps in creating an animated movie in a traditional language, and give participants a chance to actually animate something.

Yaanii K'uuka

This is the story of a little girl who won't eat her food, and who doesn't listen to he parents. Her mother warns her "Yaanii K'uuka will get you!" but she doesn't listen. Then, one day, a beautiful stranger arrives...

Based on the traditional Haida story. The movie was made in the summer of 2008 up in Masset.

Animation workshop at First Nations Language Conference

Lucy and I will be hosting an animation workshop at the upcoming First Nations Language Conference in Vancouver, July 5-6, put on by the First Nations Educational Steering Committee. The theme of the conference is "Bringing Language to Life" and of course animation is a perfect way to bring stories to life in traditional languages. The title of the workshop is "1A: Celebrating Your Language in the Modern World" and it's a two part session, with time for some hands-on animation by participants. This workshop is on Sunday July 5th.

Applied to the Knowledge Network

On Monday I sent off a proposal to make some movies with the Knowledge Network as part of their First Voices project. Mainly, I focused on making another two movies up in Haida Gwaii. I also suggested that we could make other movies with other First Nations groups, including the Kwagiulth, Gitxsan, Stolo, Squamish, Musquem, and Hesquiat First Nations. I am hoping that they will want to support us.

Haida Legends Website Launched!

The Haida Legends website has launched! You can watch both Yaanii K'uuka and The Golden Spruce there. Check it out!

Hoopla on Shaw TV in Quesnel

Big Thanks to Heather, who worked as one of the cinematographers on Hoopla!. She just told me that Hoopla! aired on Shaw TV over in Quesnel. I am glad that the movies are getting out there.

It sounds like work is progressing on the Haida Legends website. Yaanii K'uuka and the Golden Spruce are both scheduled to debut online on the Haida Legends Website. I will post a link here as soon as I have one!

Haidawood at HGFF this weekend!

Tonight is the opening of the Haida Gwaii Film Festival. Yaanii K'uukaa is scheduled to play on Sunday at 1:30 pm, and The Golden Spruce is going to play at the Gala Closing on Sunday night at 8:30 pm at the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay. If you are on the islands, be sure and check it out! You can download the entire program here: HGFF 2009 Catalogue

Haidawood in Midforms Festival

I am excited to announce that Yaanii K'uukaa will play in the upcoming Midforms Festival here in Vancouver. The Midforms Festival 09 (MFF) is a 3-day Digital Culture Festival co-produced by the New Forms Media Society and presented as part of the Cultural Olympiad. MFF facilitates a curatorial design that encourages artists and participants alike to engage and discover the trans-disciplinary genres new media art has to offer. Yaanii K'uukaa will be on rotation for the duration of the festival.

Flight of the Hummingbird

I just watched this video by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. Really cool stuff. I'd like to work with him! Check it out!

Applying for funds from FPHLCC

Christine Germano, from the Constant Arts Society, and I are working on applying for funds form the First Peoples' Heritage Language and Culture Council. Christine was one of the photographers and community activists in this year's Talking Stick Festival. I was especially impressed by her pictures from the potlaches of Alert Bay. She has a lot of experience applying for grants to do a variety of community art projects, including carving a canoe from one of the trees that fell in Stanley Park. Our current plan is to apply for funds to make a trip up to Haida Gwaii in the Fall to make two new Haidawood animated movies: one in Masset and one in Skidegate.

Haidawood showings

The Golden Spruce will be showing at the Reel2Real International Film Festival for Youth on Thursday Feb. 26th at 12:30 pm in advance of the movie Passage here in Vancouver.

There are also plans to show both The Golden Spruce and Yaanii K'uuka in the upcoming Haida Gwaii Film Festival that runs from March 6th to 8th in Queen Charlotte City up on Haida Gwaii.

Haidawood Premiere

The two latest Haidawood movies, The Golden Spruce and Yaani K'uuka, had their Vancouver premiere tonight at the Talking Stick Festival, at the InGenYous Aboriginal Youth Night tonight. There was a pretty good crowd at the Roundhouse, and people seemed to appreciate the movie. There was a lot of laughter during the poo scene in the Golden Spruce story, which was fun. And I got some nice compliments on the movies.

The movies will show again on Saturday at Have you heard this story?", which will also include a reading by Nicola Campbell and a play by Rob Hunter with Patricia Kostek & Sam Bob and directed by Floyd Favel. That's at the Aboriginal Friendship Center at 12 pm on Saturday. We'll also show both movies at the Aboriginal-Cabaret on Saturday night at 8 pm at the WISE Hall. My thanks to Margo Kane, the Artistic Director of Full Circle, for letting us show the movies at the Talking Stick Festival.