Spirit Bear

The Caring Society is thrilled to be working with Spotted Fawn Productions to produce three stop-motion films based on Spirit Bear’s first two children’s books. Stop-motion animation is the cinematic process of bringing static objects – like puppets – to life. Puppets will be combined with digital backgrounds to tie the scenes together.

Led by Michif artist Amanda Strong (the same artist who illustrated Spirit Bear’s books), Spotted Fawn Productions has been hard at work on the films since early 2018, writing the scripts, developing concept art and building sets and puppets.

Rather than seek professional voice actors, the films will be voiced by children, youth and adults who have been actively involved in the movement for equity for First Nations children – either by following the case for First Nations kids at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal or through the Shannen’s Dream campaign.

The Caring Society is committed to honouring the transmission of knowledge through diverse formats, such as film, music, parades, community events and oral communication. In addition, we recognize that many children have learning disabilities that make traditional learning methods like reading and writing difficult. We hope that Spirit Bear’s films will help engage an even wider audience in the movement for equity for First Nations kids, while also honouring other important ways of teaching and learning such as storytelling and visual media.

SPIRIT BEAR BOOKS

A member of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Spirit Bear represents the 165,000 First Nations children impacted by the First Nations child welfare case at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, as well as the thousands of other children who have committed to learning about the case and have taken part in peaceful and respectful actions in support of reconciliation and equity.

Spirit Bear joined the Caring Society team in 2008 and immediately committed himself to witnessing all of the Tribunal hearings. In June 2017, Spirit Bear was awarded an honourary “Bearrister” degree from Osgoode Law School. In October 2017, he was officially admitted to the “Bear” by the Indigenous Bar Association.

The Caring Society is proud to publish an award-winning picture book series written by Order of Canada recipient Cindy Blackstock (Gitxan Nation) and illustrated by Amanda Strong (Michif)! Every book is based on true events and teaches children and youth that, “just because you’re small, doesn’t mean you can’t stand tall!”