Cree musician's new TV series Konnected.tv premieres Wednesday

Konnected.tv, a 13-part series premiering tonight on APTN, hopes to educate, as well as start a dialogue between Indigenous peoples on some of the most important issues facing them today.

The show sends Quebec Cree musician Pakesso Mukash on a quest to meet Indigenous activists across the Americas who are fighting for their land, culture and language and through an interactive website, get people to connect and share on these important issues.

• LISTEN: Pakesso Mukash on his new TV series (Cree language)
• 'We Matter' campaign speaks directly to Indigenous youth contemplating suicide

The series begins with the story of Kanaka Maoli (Hawaii) food activist Daniel Anthony from Oahu, talking about how as an 18 year-old, he sat with a loaded gun barrel in his mouth, ready to take his own life.

"What kept me from pulling the trigger was the thought of someone telling my grandmother that her oldest grandson had committed suicide... and I decided that if I'm going to be here, I'm going to do something. I'm not sure what that something is, but I'm going to try to do it well."

What that something ended up being was a business making the traditional native Hawaiian poi, an "ancient superfood" starch dish viewed as sacred and made by pounding boiled taro roots and mixing with water until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Other episodes in the series tell the stories of a Mapuche rap group from Chile — Wechekeche Ni Trawun — fighting to keep their language alive and finding healing through music and the story of the struggle of the Ayoreo people in Paraguay, a group still living in voluntary isolation.

Stories of strength

For Konnected.tv host Pakesso Mukash, from the Quebec Cree community of Whapmagoostui, all of the stories in the series speak of the strength that comes from standing up.

"I loved seeing is how strong a nation can be when they put their language first, their spirituality and their way of life," said Mukash, who added he was struck by how similar Indigenous cultures are and how comfortable he felt.

"Sometimes, I would be sitting with them and then I would feel/think that they were my ancestors and it is so beautiful the way they live and the way they take care of each other."

For series co-director, Eli Laliberté, Konnected.tv is also about empowering Indigenous activists and having their voices truly heard.

"I hope to touch people's heart with our stories," said Laliberté.

"I also wish that some people will be motivated by those stories, so that maybe they will also step up in their own way."

The series features an interactive website which Laliberté hopes will become a place for Indigenous activists to share.

"For the Indigenous people to come of of the shadows in the eyes of the general population, so that they can be part of the discussion and truly be heard about issues that concern them."

Konnected.tv premieres Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. on APTN.