A new North Vancouver-filmed children's series, Kokum & Dot, is set to teach the Cree language and cultural teachings through a blend of puppetry, animation, and live action. Premiering on APTN on June 21, the show draws inspiration from classic children's programming like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Nostalgic Esthetic with Indigenous Mandate
Producer and director April Johnson describes the show's intentional nostalgic esthetic. "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."
The series 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 show.
Origins During COVID
Johnson took an online Cree language class taught by Visser during the pandemic. "Over Zoom, she would sometimes show us the puppets she used when teaching children, and she just lit up. I wanted to honour her and preserve some of her language and cultural teachings."
The titular Dot is a puppet created by Johnson with local puppeteer and ventriloquist Kellie Haines. "The puppet aspect really intrigued me. I thought, 'I think I can work with a puppet,'" says Johnson, whose credits include working as a video-journalist for APTN and as an associate producer on Syfy's Reginald the Vampire.
Animation and Guiding Principles
Vancouver Island-based Calibrate Collective handles the animation, which incorporates Cree Woodland art. In the first season, each episode focuses on one of the seven Cree guiding principles, introduced through an animal. Episode 1 centers on love, represented by the eagle; Episode 2 on truth, represented by the turtle; and so on.
"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."
Language Revitalization
The show also teaches the Cree language, nēhiyawēwin. According to Statistics Canada, Cree languages have more speakers than any other Indigenous language in Canada. "Teaching Cree is definitely one of our mandates," says Johnson, who recently gave a TEDx talk on language revitalization. "We have prescribed learning outcomes, and each episode introduces new Cree vocabulary."
Healing Undercurrent
There is a poignant undercurrent in the show. "Something that younger viewers may not pick up on is that Dot represents Kokum Dorothy's inner child before she attended residential school. The interactions between Kokum Dorothy and Dot are actually a form of healing for her inner child."
Visser, in her late 80s, remains actively involved, providing language and cultural support and visiting the set.
Future Seasons
The first season consists of eight episodes. APTN has already requested a second season. "We were sending rough cuts to APTN, and they just asked, 'Hey, do you have any interest in a second season?'" says Johnson. "We were like, 'Heck yes, more episodes. That's great.'"
Filming is fast-paced, with two episodes shot per day to manage costs, especially for animation. "We have to move things along very quickly in the studio and then add the animation later," Johnson explains.
