Cree radio network creates puppet show for kids to learn Cree

The James Bay Cree Communications Society (JBCCS) is launching a puppet show to encourage young and older audiences to hear and speak the Cree language.

John and Friends is a new bilingual puppet show produced by JBCCS to encourage kids that it's okay to be learning Cree. 

"We're trying to bridge the gap. There are a lot of kids nowadays who don't speak a lot of Cree. We're trying to teach them how and that it's okay to be learning," said Samuel MacLeod, who voices Morley the Moose. 

The show has several characters: John, a Cree elder who lives in the bush, Mary-Ann, a Cree woman, Ghaline the Goose, Ka and Kachoo, who are both crows; and Morley the Moose. 

"My character is the actual bridge. He speaks a lot of English and is learning Cree. The point of Morley the Moose is so people can say, 'Oh, I can relate to this character,'" said MacLeod. 

While the show is mostly in Cree with some English, they use English subtitles to make it easier for the audience to learn. 

In the first episode, they had special guests to teach how to make traditional bannock and bead earrings. 

"[Kids are] a lot more locked into their screens. So video representation really matters now more than ever," said MacLeod. 

JBCCS is a non-profit radio network that broadcasts Cree news stories across nine communities in northern Quebec. The network was founded in 1981 and first aired in 1986.

"They just wanted to put a show out there for the kids who are glued to their screens and teach them at the same time," said MacLeod. 

Jason Swallow, a producer of John and Friends as well as JBCCS, says that the younger generation consumes less radio and more video content. 

"We are aiming at the younger generation now since they will be our next audience," said Swallow. 

JBCCS has been publishing more video content to keep up with current trends in storytelling. They post them on their Facebook page. 

"Younger generations are more involved in their technologies, right — making video and whatnot. And so that's where we're aiming at now," said Swallow.