Isa White is from Snuneymuxw First Nation, in Nanaimo, BC. She proudly embraces her Coast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth & Mi'kmaq heritage and carries the traditional names Tlaa'kwaa & Hola'nahmit. She is the great-granddaughter of the late Dr. Ellen White, whose cultural and language knowledge continues to guide the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Isabella is a leader in her community as well, especially in sports, arts, and academics. She is also a world traveler who has visited many different parts of the world with her awesome mother, Tsatassaya White. Isa brings her brilliance and dedication to her community,

COYOTE SCIENCE BRILLIANT HOST ISABELLA WHITE

John Herrington was born in Wetumka, Oklahoma. A member of the Chickasaw tribe, John and his family moved around a great deal when he was a child. After dropping out of college, John worked on a survey team in the mountains of Colorado, found he had an aptitude for math and enrolled in the University of Colorado for a degree in applied math. Growing up wanting to be a pilot, Herrington joined the Navy, became a designated a Naval Aviator logging over 3,300 flight hours in over 30 different types of aircraft. He then went on to earn a Masters in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. NASA selected Herrington to be an astronaut, in 1996, and he reported to the Johnson Space Center. Herrington was a member of the sixteenth Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station (November 23-December 7, 2002). He was the first Native American to walk in space. Herrington honored his Native American heritage during that walk by carrying six eagle feathers, a braid of sweet grass, two arrowheads and the Chickasaw nation’s flag.

NASA ASTRONAUT & NAVY COMMANDER JOHN HERRINGTON

Kylie was the smart and charismatic host of Tansi! Nehiyawetan, when he was 5 to 8, where he met astronaut John Herrington. He took his viewing friends on many adventures throughout his community as they learned Cree words and important cultural teachings. Now a youth, they continue to explore their world through a love of music and multimedia art. They produce short films, write music, enjoy photography, and take music courses and international studies. They have been part of various bands, performing at concerts and festivals. As host of Hack This! Kylie uses fun and easy hands-on projects to engage youth in the fascinating world of science. They are Metis, Cree, German, and Norwegian. This season, they shared Kai’s Hacks with An’ostin.

SMART AND CHARISMATIC HOST KYLIE TODD DARRELL 

An’ostin is Metis, Cree, German, and Norwegian.
This season, An’ostin was not only Coyote, he also did many of the DIY hacks in Kai’s Hacks. He loves animals and cars. Recently he’s been learning Cree with his ohkomimâw (grandmother). Anostin excels in math and recently was part of an art exhibit where his material art of a medicine bag was shown. He loves nature and wants to live off the land one day, like his ancestors.

Jay Cardinal Villeneuve (Cree/Métis/Welsh) was born and raised in northern Alberta and is an intergenerational residential school survivor. He studied theatre and attended the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking program at Capilano University. His short documentary “Holy Angels” produced by the NFB won awards and recognition including a Leo Award for screenwriting. His comedy “Is That One of Your Jokes” garnered him the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the LA Skins Fest in Hollywood. And in a career-defining role, Jay played Martin in the feature film “Brother I Cry”.

My name is Travis Stump. I am a Tsilhqot'in which means,"People of the River". I am taking the IIDF program(Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking) program at Capilano University. My main goal is to become a writer/ director and make my own films the way I want to. My dream is to make a production company where I can train and hire my own people.

Julia Rayanne (She/Her) is a writer and producer based in Vancouver, BC. She studied filmmaking at Capilano University in the IIDF and Motion Picture Arts, focusing on screenwriting and directing. Through her leadership, Julia has produced and production managed many projects.

Julia loves to connect with people in all different types of fields, such as music, broadcasting, fashion, animation, and advertising. She also does voice work for animation. For that ever-important work-life balance outside the film industry, Julia enjoys writing comedy, hitting the gym, and going on long walks to meet dogs.

Coral-Lee Joe-Louis is from the shíshálh Nation, where they learned their culture and are dedicated to their community. Coral-Lee is multi-talented. They study dance, theatre, and singing and have performed in many plays and dance recitals. A recent high school graduate, they have worked as an archaeological technician and now work at a local cinema.

Breanna Elizabeth Marie is our excellent science reporter in the Computer & VR episodes, interviewing leading Indigenous tech experts Caroline Running Wolf and Michael Running Wolf. Breanna is a math whiz, and also likes knitting and sewing, which involve math. And she has 4 dogs! An aspiring actor one day, Breanna is Cree and Kwakiutl.

SCIENCE REPORTER BREANNA ELIZABETH MARIE 

Thi Billie is a Nl’akapa’mx/Saulteax/Gitskan youth who is a multi talented artist, who create coyotes for Coyote Science. They have taught themselves how to draw and their dream is to attend Emily Carr University and become an animator. They are proficient in other forms of art – like painting and pottery. They’ll create amazing things with their imagination. 

Tama is Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua from Aotearoa (New Zealand). He moved to Vancouver with his family, where he found his talent as a musician and songwriter. His talented was recognized by the Sarah McLaughlin School of Music. Tama has been part of Coyote Science since Season 1, where he found out about stars, medicine wheels, the Big Bang, solar power, animation and game design.

MUSICIAN & SONGWRITER TAMA TAURERE-JULIAN

Featured Indigenous Science Reporters/Storyteller

Loretta Sarah Todd is a visionary leader in Indigenous media, an artist with entrepreneurial energy and cultural knowledge. Ms. Todd creates space for Indigenous production and storytelling, including the IM4 Media Lab, an Indigenous XR Lab, where she is the Creative Director.  

Ms. Todd is dedicated to storytelling and creating media for Indigenous children and their friends, including Coyote Science, an educational series about Indigenous science. Coyote Science recently received the UNESCO Best Children’s Film at the Indianer & Inuit Film Festival in Germany. 

Ms. Todd has directed over 75 projects including award-winning documentaries, apps, digital media, games and animation. Monkey Beach, her first feature, from the novel by Eden Robinson, launched to strong audience and critical response, screening at TIFF, ImagineNative, VIFF, and festivals from Korea to Scotland, winning 19 awards, including sweeping the American Indian Film Festival drama awards and was the #1 Canadian film at the box office for 4 weeks.

Her honours include a Rockefeller Fellowship to NYU, Sundance Scriptwriter’s Lab, Mayor's Award for Media Arts (Vancouver), Women in Film and Video Innovator Award and Women of Excellence: UN  Women's Economic Forum. Ms. Todd is Metis/Cree -  St. Paul des Metis, White Fish Lake First Nation, Red River Metis.

VISIONARY LEADER IN INDIGENOUS MEDIA LORETTA SARAH TODD

Passionate woodworker and occasional doer of movie things. If you catch me out in public odds are I've been coerced or cajoled. Proud dad to a tiny (frighteningly fast) goblin.

Tanner Zurkoski is a Cree Metis filmmaker born in Prince Rupert BC and raised in Sto:lo, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories. He has been involved in film since his mother, documentary filmmaker Nitanis Desjarlais, had him logging her footage and interviews taken from the front lines of the indigenous resistance movements of the early 2000's. His Kokum Cleo Reece is one of the founding members of the first indigenous film festivals in Canada, and his Grandfather Victor Reece was a well know Tsimshian Carver.

Tanner Studied film production at York University in Toronto, and went on to write, direct, and produce an award-winning comedy series for Canal+ entitled "The Village Green".  His short film "Whale" focused on issues of language revitalization and cultural resurgence, which was supported by the Harold Greenberg Fund, Bell Media, and the Netflix accelerator fund through the CFC. Tanner recently pitched a hybrid animated documentary at the Indigenous Screen Summit at the Banff World Media Festival. Tanner hopes to continue to develop both as a professional and of champion authentic Indigenous storytelling and as a creative filmmaker in his own right.
 

PASSIONATE WOODWORKER AND OCCASIONAL DOER OF MOVIE THINGS TANNER ZURKOSKI

Kaitlyn Redcrow is Director, Producer and Sound Engineer from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Alberta. After graduating from the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program and a Bachelors of Motion Picture Arts from Capilano University, she passionately continues and strives to create what she loves most: riveting Indigenous content. During her years in film school several of her films have been selected to screen in various film festivals around Vancouver. 

She was also nominated for the Emerging Filmmaker award for her short film entitled "Her Eyes" at the L.A Skins Film Festival in California. Apart from directing and editing, her main interests lay in producing and sound design. Kaitlyn worked as the Production Coordinator on Coyote Science 3, as well as working as a sound editor. She has since gone on to work on feature films and is developing her own projects, including a fantasy series.

DIRECTOR, PRODUCER AND SOUND ENGINEER KAITLYN REDCROW

Tia specializes in Indigenous media initiatives from an Indigenous perspective. She is Indigenous from the Ngāpuhi/Te Aupōuri Nations of Aotearoa (New Zealand), lives on Coast Salish Territory of Turtle Island (North America/Canada) and Aotearoa (New Zealand). She was born in the Koolin Nations (Melbourne Australia). 

Tia has worked as an editor for Coyote Science for 3 seasons plus has worked on many other series, features and documentaries as editor, including Dancing Through.

One of her passions is striving to create International Solidarity by building synergies between Indigenous, Activists and Creative communities. She believes in working towards Tino Rangatiratanga, Self Determination for all peoples, through Creative Resistance, Creative Communications. She has skills in multi media production, critical analysis of the world we live in today and a deep respect for our Earth Mother Papatūānuku.

Her company, Whaea Productions, is based on the Māori word Whāea, pronounced like “Fire”, our ‘wh’ is an ‘f’ in english. Whāea is a mother, an aunty, a teacher, an older woman who is nurturing, caring, a knowledge keeper and a leader in the community.
 

INDIGENOUS MEDIA INITIATIVES SPECIALIST TIA TAURERE-CLEARSKY

Cheyanna Kootenhayoo AKA Kookum is a DJ and multi media maker from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, and Cold Lake First Nations, their maternal Denesuline traditional territory. Based out of Vancouver BC, Kookum has been making a name for their self across the country and is no stranger in the community.
 
 Kookum is an open format DJ inspired by EDM and Hip Hop music. This diverse-mix-diva is a force on the decks and always keeps the party hype, fresh, and unpredictable. Kookum tours nationally and internationally with the Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Holds down weekly DJ residencies. Facilitates videography and DJ workshops, operates sound and lighting for community dance parties, and works with youth as a DJ mentor. You can also catch DJ Kookum performing virtually for online festivals, curating online events, hosting online workshops, making beats in the studio, and selling merchandise on their online store.

Kookum has been a video editor for just over 10 years editing television, documentaries and promotional videos. Kookum is also the music supervisor for the children’s television series called ‘Coyote Science’ and host’s the Immersive Knowledge Transfer Podcast produced by the Indigenous Matriarchs 4 Media Lab. 

DJ AND MULTIMEDIA MAKER FROM THE ALEXIS NAKOTA SIOUX NATION, AND COLD LAKE FIRST NATIONS CHEYANNA KOOTENHAYOO

I love rocks. I carry a visceral love for the earth, and all our relations. My favourite thing is traveling with my partner and our two kids, Kai and Anostin. I work at the intersection of film, storytelling, geography, and community planning. I am so happy to be part of a show that highlights Indigenous knowledge and nurtures the curiosity and brilliance of our youth.

Kamala Todd is a Metis-Cree community planner, educator, curator and filmmaker lives in he unceded beautiful lands of the Skwxwú7mesh-speaking people, in Gibsons, BC. She has a master's degree in geography (UBC) and is the City of Vancouver’s first Indigenous arts and culture planner.  She created Storyscapes, a community arts and storytelling project to help bring greater recognition for the many diverse stories of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh and urban Indigenous people in Vancouver. This included a partnership with NFB to create Our City Our Voices, an oral history video project recording Indigenous stories with youth and elders, as well as residents in the Downtown Eastside. 

Kamala was a consultant centrally involved in the Vancouver Dialogues Project, which brought together First Nations, urban Indigenous, and immigrant communities to build circles of dialogue and cultural-sharing. Kamala’s film credits include Indigenous Plant Diva, Cedar and Bamboo, RELAW: Living Indigenous Laws, and Sharing our Stories: the Vancouver Dialogues Project. She writes and directs for children’s television, including the Indigenous science series Coyote's Crazy Smart Science Show and the Cree language series Nehiyawetan, both on APTN. She created a video series about Indigenous law for UVic’s Indigenous Law Research Unit. She is the author of “This Many-storied Land”, in In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation (2016) and Truth-Telling: Indigenous perspectives on Working with Municipal Governments (2017) for the Vancouver Park Board.

METIS-CREE COMMUNITY PLANNER, EDUCATOR, CURATOR AND FILMMAKER KAMALA JASMINE TODD