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If you know where to look, there has been a noticeable reclamation
for Indigenous storytellers. Notably, it's visible through
technology and modern forms of online gaming, comic books,
animation and transmedia. And while content for mature
audiences is definitely on the rise, I was still able
to find plenty of action for kids! These Indigenous and FNMI
(First Nations, Metis and Inuit) creators hail from across
Turtle
Island, and are aiming to eliminate negative stereotypes
of Indigenous peoples as seen throughout pop culture.
As Kickapoo comic book illustrator Arigon
Starr said in an interview
with VICE, We were either shamans, mystic boogeyman,
or pocahotties. But new generations of kids wont
grow up with these visions if collections like Starr's Super
Indian Comics and my selections below are shown to children
from all cultural backgrounds.
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GAMES
Honour
Water |
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This is a singing game that teaches Anishinaabe songs about
preserving and protecting our waters, in tandem with interactive
challenges for users. Anishinaabemowin (phonetics) and English
is displayed to guide players throughout each song, which were
gifted by elders who collaborated at the singers of the Oshkii
Giizhik Gathering and Sharon Day. Developed by Pinnguaq, with
art and design by multidisciplinary trailblazer Elizabeth
LaPensée. Available for free
on iOS devices. Rated 4+ |
Thunderbird
Strike |
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In this visually stunning 2D sidescroller, players can fly
from the Tar Sands to the Great Lakes as a thunderbird protecting
Turtle Island. Users have the power to strike with searing lightning
against the black snake that threatens to swallow
the lands and waters whole. Also designed by Elizabeth LaPensée
and available on PC (via Dropbox),
Google
Play and iOS.
Ratings vary depending on the platform you choose. |
Spirits Of Spring |
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Kids can role play solo or multiplayer, exploring four levels
of a magical world filled with streams, trees and animals. Along
the way, there are a series of puzzles and challenges to solve.
Clear messages about the importance of friendship emerge throughout
as gamers follow an Indigenous boy named Chiwatin and his friends
Bear and Rabbit. Their world is threatened by bullying crows
who destroy the spirit trees that preserve springtime. Users
choose how to best address the crows and their bullying in this
game rooted deeply in storytelling. Developed by Minority Media
(Rezolution Pictures - Rumble,
The Indians Who Rocked The World). Available on
iOS for $1.99. Rated 9+ |
Never
Alone (Kisima In?itchu?a - I Am Not Alone) |
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This is the first game developed in collaboration with the
Iñupiat, comprised of nearly 40 Alaska Native elders,
storytellers and community contributors. In this atmospheric
puzzle platformer, a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic
fox set out to find the source of the eternal blizzard which
threatens the survival of everything they have ever known.
It's narrated by an Iñupiaq master storyteller, so
players will hear a familiar voice as they guide both characters
in single-player or co-operative mode. Available
on multiple platforms from $4.49 to $22.49. Ratings
vary depending on the platform you choose.
You'll Also Love: How
We're Teaching Indigenous History to Our Kids
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Sleep
Guardian |
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In this simple yet challenging game, you are a dreamcatcher,
tasked with the important job of ensuring the little girl under
your care has a good night's sleep. Catch the bad dreams in
your web to destroy them, while running into good dreams will
give you bonus points. Available for free
webplay! Unrated. |
Invaders |
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A spin on the classic arcade game Space Invaders, this version
is designed and programmed by Elizabeth LaPensée, with
art by Steven Paul Judd and music by Trevino Brings Plenty.
Available free online,
and for Android
and iOS.
Ratings vary depending on the platform you choose. |
Survivance |
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This is a social impact game where players explore philosophical
themes of presence, and create art as a pathway to healing.
All of this is accomplished by choosing from non-linear quests
that are structured in the phases of the Indigenous life journey.
Players create an act of survivance at the end of each quest
as a form of self-determination inspired by Anishinaabe
scholar Gerald Vizenors term survivance. Vizenor
explains: "Survivance is an active sense of presence, the
continuance of native stories, not a mere reaction, or a survivable
name. Native survivance stories are renunciations of dominance,
tragedy and victimry." Choose your free quest online.
Unrated. |
Gravity
Ghost |
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A soothing online space puzzler simple enough for young ones,
with a beautiful soundtrack to match its exquisite physics and
extraterrestrial experiences. Produced by Renee Nejo. Available
for $9.99. Unrated. |
Path
Of The Elders |
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This is a web-based, interactive storytelling game exploring
Treaty
9, collaborated on by the Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe Peoples
of Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario. This Cree education
game includes several guides for teachers to serve as a companion
to the educational game play. In order to save your game, users
must register and
login to create, but other than that its free! For
grades four to ten. |
7
Generation Games |
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There are several choices under this umbrella that I couldnt
exclude because the experiences are so rich in education and
creative exploration! Choose from making your own virtual wigwam
in Making Camp; medicine hunting in Spirit
Lake; and following in teachings of Ojibwe elders, there
are walking trails and fishing expeditions in Forgotten
Trail and Fish Lake. All games are available
for webplay with teacher resources to accompany each game. Check
out availability here
prices range from free to $12.83. Ratings vary depending
on the platform and game you choose. |
COMICS
(DIGITAL + PRINT)
NAPI |
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NAPI (Naw-Pea) is a trickster character shared for thousands
of years by Blackfoot families to empower and educate others
about the ways of the world. Each story has its own unique
message with complementary lessons. Brand new NAPI stories
launch every month, and be sure to join creator Jason Eaglespeakers
mailing list to stay in the loop! Several reading
levels available!
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Guide To Taking Your Family To A Powwow For The First Time
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The
Secret Of The Stars |
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After watching the stars falling to earth, a young man is
whisked into the land of dream. He travels across distant, mythological
places where he discovers the power of mapping the stars and
how our dreams interlope with our everyday realities and pressures
of life. |
The
Wool Of Jonesy |
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Readers can join Jonesy the Sheep and his enchanting adventures
out on the rez as told and illustrated by Diné artist
Jonathan Nelson. Exploration and dreaming about life after high
school and beyond the rez are all a part of how Jonesy discovers
himself. |
Hero
Twins |
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The Hero Twins have long held an important place in the stories
of the Navajo people of the southwest as protectors of the
people, and their deeds and adventures have sparked the imaginations
of Navajo children for generations. Readers go back in time
to a harsh winter in 1860 where cavalry meets world-changing
discoveries in the spirit realm. The character Changing
Woman rises as the matriarchal heroine who protects
newborn and older children so they may fulfill their destiny
of bringing light to the world. Written and illustrated by
Dale Deforest.
You'll Also Love: How
to Grow a Three-Sisters Garden
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Sila
And The Land |
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Three young Indigenous women have collaborated on this book
in order to create a space to share and inspire different land
and territory perspectives across FNMI communities. This includes
a shared respect for the earth and an understanding of our responsibilities
to protect it for future generations. Written by Shelby Angalik,
Ariana Roundpoint and Lindsay DuPre. Illustrated by Halie Finney.
Designed by Janet Hannah. |
TRANSMEDIA
KAGAGI:
The Raven |
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Originally a graphic novel written and illustrated by Jay
Odjick, Kagagi has moved from the page to the screen with a
16-year-old Algonquin boy (Matthew Carver) as the superhero.
He must stop his archnemesis The Windigo from destroying the
world and gaining universal power. All episodes are free to
stream online via NITV. |
SESQUI
VR: MERIDIAN |
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Developed by Pinnguaq, players can explore an immersive world
of inspiration and wonder choosing from six original virtual
reality stories, wherein users can creatively shape their dream
world of the future. Available on Google Play, iOS
and Oculus. |
Selena Mills
Read
more from Selena here.
A multidisciplinary creative professional and artisan,
Selena has over 10 years
of experience writing and editing for acclaimed publications,
B2B content creation, social management, brand building, design
and VA services. Passionate about elevating Indigenous and FNMI
stories, perspectives and voices in digital media, she strives to
build bridges renegade style. When the chaos permits, Selena is
an avid four-seasons permaculture gardener and a hobby chef
who looks for other parents to revel (and or kvetch) in motherhood
with. Clearly, she doesnt like rules, most visionaries dont.
They
Roar
This is the new home to a blog collective of two voices. A rich
carnival for your senses. Recipes from life, love and the kitchen.
Tellers of stories on motherhood, woman-hood and rabble-rousing.
Of loss and triumph lightness and darkness. From our tribes
to yours
we look forward to connecting with you.
http://www.theyroar.com
Super
Indian Comics
Creator/Writer/Artist Arigon Starr is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe
of Oklahoma and was raised in various cities across the U.S. along
with her Navy family. Shes been drawing since she could hold
a pencil. Shes produced cartoons, drawings and artwork for
many organizations including Native Voices at the Autry, the Native
Voice One Radio Service, rock group Queen, the Walt Disney Company
(for their retail outlets), the National Park Service and other
charitable groups around the U.S. Super Indian has been
a long time coming.
http://superindiancomics.com
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