Membertou – It was a transformational day for 200 Mi’kmaw students in Nova Scotia on February 28 as they came together to animate a series of Mi’kmaw stories based on a series of books created by the UINR (Unima’ki Institute of Natural Resources).

Supported by animators from Montreal, Toronto and New York – hundreds of students in Grades 5 to 7- learned first hand what it’s like to work on a real live production.

This day long event – the first of its kind in Canada – involving hundreds of Indigenous children – was organized by Ulnooweg’s Digital Mi’kmaq, with the goal to expose youth to the world of animation.

With a tight deadline of just five hours these amazing students got underway completing a series of 5 animated films. Focused on sharing the knowledge and best practices of the Mi’kmaw people the series of books students utilized today provides a direct example of how the past and the present can be extended in new ways utilizing new fields like animation.

Enveloping an Indigenous approach and understanding of the importance of ecological balance and environmental impact these stories featuring the art of Dozay Christmas, also exposed students with a greater understanding of their ancestral knowledge.

Digital Mi’kmaq is a ground breaking national initiative whose mission is to build lasting foundational capacities for Indigenous youth and their communities focused on sc ...