Village Gamer

The “All My Aboriginal Relations” app makes it a lot easier to research Aboriginal family history, mainly because pre-1900 records of Aboriginal ancestors in sites like ancestry.ca are rare for a variety of reasons. For example, many Aboriginal people didn’t have English names until the early 20th century. Also, early records of Aboriginal settlements are difficult to find and there was no census on reserves. The app will include tutorials (text and video) on where Métis, Inuit and First Nations archives and historical sources are located in Canada. The app will also include archival material (photos, maps, documents) about communities featured in the television series. The app will include a family tree template that can be downloaded.

Part history, part biography, “All Our Relations” celebrates the lives of Aboriginal Canadians who have achieved international success and recognition in fields such as sports, politics, the arts, business and entertainment. The series takes its viewers on an amazing trek through the family roots of each guest, and the story of their Aboriginal community. Episodes profile First Nations, Inuit and Métis people through interviews with Elders, historic experts, relatives and the subjects themselves. Archival footage, historic photos, 3D graphics and stunning HD footage of Aboriginal communities in Canada vividly illustrate each featured subject’s unique background. “All Our Relations” takes a close look at ancestral histories and acknowledges pride in the traditional cultures. The series provides a special window into the personal lives and historical roots of each person and inspires viewers to explore their own family genealogies.

An inspirational TV and Web documentary series about the enterprising ambition of classically trained, and critically acclaimed, Haida/Cree singer/songwriter Kristi Lane Sinclair. This revealing look takes you behind closed doors in the Canadian music industry as we document Kristi’s roller-coaster attempt to be defined as an artist in terms of her Aboriginal heritage. With big plans and unfulfilled dreams, she seeks the wisdom of well-known musicians and industry leaders to help her create a seminal CD and sing her way onto the Canadian folk/rock landscape. But conflicting demands in her personal and professional life test her artistic resilience.

Ftmtv.ca is a media rich, interactive digital site designed to provide audiences with an immersive “Face the Music” experience.

John Chabot returns to lead a new group of young Aboriginal hockey players. These top prospects will experience a camp like no other in this, the fourth season of the series. For two weeks, they will prepare to showcase their skills under the experienced tutelage of NHLers and elite hockey professionals. Who will earn tryouts on the country’s top junior teams make it to the next level? Whose dreams will come true?

Besides featuring extra video from the series, the “Hit the Ice”, website also serves as an indispensable and customisable hockey development tool for all young players to improve their game.

Pakesso Mukash journeys through Indigenous cultures across the Americas in search of a young generation of tradition keepers – those chosen to preserve tradition cultural, and spiritual knowledge, and get others to find a place for them in today’s world. A way to witness the revival and celebration of culture.

Konnected.tv lets users exchange opinions and discuss issues affecting the Aboriginal community in real-time. Similarly to Twitter or Instagram, the host and the online community will be able to share different types of material, such as photos, videos, texts and URLs. This will generate exclusive daily content labelled #konnectedtv. A search engine will help users find personally relevant information and connect with people of similar interests, either from their own community or elsewhere in the world. The ultimate goal is to share indigenous content that will touch and inspire – to “konnect” everyone.

An animated children’s television series that follows the adventures of 6-year-old Randy. He helps Louis, a Cree elder, with his work. Every day Louis gives Randy a task, but there is one problem: Louis mostly speaks Cree and very little English, and Randy only speaks English. Before Randy can help anyone he has to figure out what Louis said. Unfortunately, he’s a bit impatient and tempted to go ahead without knowing the correct meaning of the Cree words. Luckily there are people in the community who can speak both Cree and English, so Randy eventually figures out how to complete his task. The new season will continue to educate and entertain as viewers tune in to see Randy’s new adventures while he learns more Cree words.

Louis Says (Learn & Play II) is an interactive appisode in English and Cree that features three interactive scenes. In the first, users will help Super Randy save his popcorn friends. User in the second will help Randy play with a hula-hoop. The third has Super Randy travel through time to meet new friends from different tribes. Every time he encounters a tribe, he will learn words in Aboriginal languages that describe the shapes that traditional hoop dancers form during the dance. At the end, Super Randy – with input from the user – will help a young traditional dancer perform the hoop dance. (For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or any Android mobile device: free from iTunes and Google Play.)

In the early 1900s, in the depths of winter, Uik and his teenage son return from hunting caribou to find their igloo violently pillaged. Two grandparents and a child are dead. His wife and 12-year-old daughter are gone. Raiders have attacked his peaceful Inuit family and escaped into the dark tundra with their captives. So begins Uik’s relentless search to hunt down the kidnappers and recover his family, in a brutal, bone-wearying chase under the iron grip of a frigid land and endless sky. Filmed on location in north Baffin Island’s extreme winter cold and darkness, “Malinaqputiit – the Searchers” is a thriller of love, tragedy and revenge dominated by the harshest climate on earth.

The website A Mechif Journey will feature grandparents as they play traditional music, make bannock and show young people how to fish. Interviews with Indigenous artists, professionals and athletes will showcase their accomplishments. A story illustrates the Mechif language in a short, humorous lesson. Users will be encouraged to submit their own stories and culturally interesting experiences. A photo gallery will be posted with both old and current photos.

The companion website will augment audience experiences three distinct ways: WATCH, CELEBRATE, PLAY. The WATCH element is informational/promotional and encourages people to view the television broadcasts. The PLAY element uses a game experience to familiarize users with many of the traditional Mohawk ironworking skills in a fast-paced and entertaining way. CELEBRATE lets users quickly create a personalized tribute and take the experience offline into their home, schools or office. Both PLAY and CELEBRATE are designed to work as project endorsements once shared, either on social media or live, so they can build audience growth for re-broadcasts.

Dynamic groups of veteran Aboriginal forest firefighters face immense challenges as fire destroys hundreds of square kilometres of trees and wilderness. Regardless of day-to-day goals and personal issues, crews can’t risk being distracted for an instant as raging heat and thick waves of suffocating black smoke bear down on them.

The second season will contain a series overview, and new or updates features such as cast profiles, an image gallery, episode index with synopses, an online survey, and exclusive web video. Also, a second “Life at the Base Camp” section that will feature diary-style posts plus images from the firefighters. The website will be linked to Twitter and Instagram accounts – which will include calls to action to watch television episodes, join a conversation about the series, drive traffic to the website for more information, and generally enhance the overall viewer experience.

Princesses is a documentary series exploring the evolution of standards of beauty within the Canadian First Nations taking it far from the ‘Pocahontas’ dark-skinned Barbie doll image too often shown on television and in films.  The director, Sonia Bonspille-Boileau will travel to meet all those with an opinion on the issues. Being a woman of Aboriginal origins herself, the core theme is clearly one that both fascinates and intrigues her!  Add to that the need to approach such an elusive subject with numerous different Aboriginal nations, each with its own, often- complex history, customs, tradition – and therefore, inevitably, standards of beauty.

Princesses is an Internet component related to the TV series that will allow users to broaden their overall experience, delving deeper into issues and topics related to the documentary series which couldn’t be covered in their entirety in the television version.

Rhythm II follows the quest of eight young Aboriginal musicians / singers / composers / performers age 16 to 25 on an artistic journey that leads to the recording of their first album as a group. Throughout the adventure, the group is accompanied by Samian and his team of mentors. The unique perspective of this youth documentary series allows you to discover what it means for young Indigenous people to achieve and surpass themselves. Through their examples, young viewers will discover that by working hard, doing what they love and pursuing their dreams, anything is possible!

Rhythm II is an integrated digital project that teaches users about Aboriginal culture through a website and music game where participants in the television series are centre stage. Social media play an important role by giving users access to content. Everything converges around the Rhythm concept through different approaches and a range of media.

A mix of 2D animation with live-action footage creates an oral history (in Inuktitut) of Canada’s Inuit people. Culturally rich and visually stunning, the series portrays the most resonant characters, myths and legends – something sure to please both Inuit and non-Inuit alike.

Just as Zacharias Kunuk uses modern filmmaking to bring traditional Inuit storytelling into the 21st century, Time Machine’s innovative, digital-animation software lets this generation, and the next, bring to life Inuit mythology, legends and folklore.

While a health crisis sweeps through Indian Country, we learn about who is affected – along with the inspirational struggles of Aboriginal people for whom mere survival is not enough. It’s the ability to thrive with vision, persistence and community.