Growing up, these Indigenous creators didn't see themselves on kids' TV. So they made their own

Unreserved50:21Harnessing the power of children’s programming

Yatibaey Evans, an Ahtna Athabascan from Mentasta, Alaska, grew up watching Sesame Street on TV at her grandparents' house. 

One of its catchy jingles still plays in her mind.  

"Even to this day when I hear some numbers, I'll sing to myself — 'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12,'" Evans told Unreserved's Rosanna Deerchild. 

For over five decades, Sesame Street has entertained and educated millions of children through its loveable characters like Elmo and Big Bird, teaching valuable lessons on everything from counting to empathy. 

But with Warner Bros. Discovery's recent decision not to renew its deal for new episodes, its future remains uncertain.

While Evans, like many children, has fond memories of programs like Sesame Street, she rarely, if ever, saw her own culture be reflected in them. 

This realization led her to a career focused on bringing Indigenous stories to children. 

She is the creative producer of the series Molly of Denali, a co-production with PBS Kids and CBC Kids. It follows the life and adventures of 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl living with her family in the Alaskan village of Qyah.

"I really felt the need to go and share about who we are as Indigenous people because there's so many amazing things that we contribute and have contributed over thousands of years to our world," Evans said. 

Unfortunately, for generations, according to the digital media literacy non-profit MediaSmarts, Indigenous ways of knowing and being have been misrepresented or erased from popular media. Instead, programs often perpetuate colonial narratives and creating harmful stereotypes.

This misrepresentation can deeply affect young Indigenous people, leading to lifelong struggles with self-esteem and identity, a 2024 National Library of Medicine study says.

That's why positive and accurate representations in children's media are so important, says Evans. 

"[Kids] can [know] that they can share their foods, their languages, their clothing, their way of being with the world, and that it will be accepted, appreciated and learned from, and they can take pride in who they are," she said.  

Taking back what was taken 

With Alaska Native representation at every level of the creative process, Molly of Denali works to ensure that the cultural diversity of Alaska's 229 tribes is accurately represented. 

A key feature is its focus on language; for many Alaska Natives, the journey to reclaim their languages has been a painful one, steeped in centuries of forced assimilation.

"During the boarding school era, Alaska Native and Indigenous people across the nation were told that if we spoke our languages that we would be punished," said Evans. 

Native American boarding schools across the U.S. sought to assimilate Indigenous children into white society. At these government-funded and often church-run institutions, children were forcibly removed from their families, prohibited from speaking their Native American languages and often abused. 

Molly of Denali incorporates the Gwich'in language, helping young Alaska Natives reclaim and value their cultural heritage.

"[We're] helping bring them back because they never went away. People still spoke [their language] in their homes," said Evans. 

Inspiring children to talk about Indigenous identity 

The importance of cultural representation also resonates with Eric Jackson, a creator from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. 

His animated series Chums, set in pre-contact Turtle Island, follows a young girl named Flies with Eagles and her group of furry friends who help other animals in unexpected adventures. 

Airing on APTN and Citytv Saskatchewan, the show teaches children about patience, acceptance and being proud of where you come from. 

It also piques curiosity and inspires children to engage with cultural activities like rock painting, dancing, cooking and mending teepees. 

Jackson says they approach it in a way that's easy for a child to "ask questions about it and go to their elders to inquire more." 

He follows in the footsteps of his parents, who addressed the lack of Indigenous representation in media with their 2007 children's show Wapos Bay. 

Passing it onto the next generation 

Brent Beauchamp, an animator from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, says he was shaped by the women in his family — particularly his older sister Emmaline, who had a hand in raising him.

He created the short film Follow that's toured film festivals worldwide to honour Emmaline's own motherhood, and to share the importance of matriarchs in Indigenous families. 

"Women in our communities play a huge role, especially being from Six Nations and the Haudenosaunee people.… Historically, women not only raised and taught children, but they also controlled lands," said Beauchamp, who is Onondaga/Haudenosaunee on his mother's side and Algonquin/Anishinaabe on his father's side. 

"They had so much power in our communities."

Follow tells the story of Nimkii, a young child who is lured away from their mother by a shape-shifting spirit.  

Emmaline, who translated Brent's script into Anishinaabemowin and voiced Nimkii's mother, says the work was deeply meaningful.

As a high school teacher, she shared the film with her students to inspire them to tell their own stories, and embrace their artistic passions. 

"If that's something you have a passion for, there's programs and places where you can be successful and have a living doing that," she said.

She sees her role as a commitment to carrying forward the work of their elders and fluent speakers who have safeguarded and maintained the language. 

"Why wouldn't every ounce of me make sure I grab on to that and pass it on?"