New North Vancouver series teaches Cree language through puppets and play

Kokum & Dot, a new children's series filmed in North Vancouver, debuts June 21 on APTN with an intentionally nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of beloved 1980s and 1990s programming.

"It's lower stimulation, more similar to Sesame Street with an Indigenous mandate, or Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where you have an older adult who is calm, gives lessons and invites the audience into the experience," says producer-director April Johnson.

The show mixes animation, live action, and puppetry. Actor-musician Renae Morriseau (North of 60) plays Dorothy, a character based on Elder Dorothy Visser, who inspired the series. Johnson took an online Cree language class with Visser during COVID; over Zoom, Visser showed off puppets she used teaching children. "I remember thinking, 'Oh my goodness, this woman is so sweet.' I wanted to honour her and preserve some of her language and cultural teachings," Johnson says.

The puppet Dot was created by Johnson with local puppeteer and ventriloquist Kellie Haines. Johnson, whose credits include video-journalism for APTN and associate producer work on Syfy's 2022 horror-comedy series Reginald the Vampire, explains: "The puppet aspect really intrigued me. At the time, I was still a pretty green producer and director, and I wasn't sure I was ready to work with children, but I thought, 'I think I can work with a puppet.'"

Vancouver Island-based Calibrate Collective, headed by David Woodgate, handles animation incorporating Cree Woodland art.

In the first season, each episode focuses on one of the seven Cree guiding principles, with an animal representing those teachings. Episode 1 centers on love, represented by the eagle. Episode 2 is about truth, represented by the turtle. "The themes are very universal," Johnson says. "They're rooted in truth, love, wisdom, courage, respect and honesty. I think those teachings will resonate beyond a Cree audience."

The show teaches nēhiyawēwin (Cree language). According to Statistics Canada, the various Cree languages and dialects have more speakers than any other Indigenous language in Canada. "Teaching Cree is definitely one of our mandates," Johnson says. "We have prescribed learning outcomes, and each episode introduces new Cree vocabulary."

A poignant undercurrent runs through the series: Dot represents Elder Dorothy's inner child before she attended residential school. The interactions between Kokum Dorothy and Dot constitute "a form of healing for her inner child." Visser, in her late 80s, is very involved in the project.