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Indigenous leaders are demanding an apology from the new premier of Alberta for a video published on Twitter.
As Dan Karpenchuk reports, they’re calling the tweet disappointing and harmful to truth and reconciliation.
The video was made while Danielle Smith was in Ottawa for a major premiers conference on health care.
The video taken on Parliament Hill had Smith reflecting on the origins of Canada and her interpretation of history.
“Many years ago the Indigenous people of this land and those that came from across the world united to tame an unforgiving frontier.”
Native leaders called the video dehumanizing, demoralizing, and hurtful. And they want an apology.
Jessica Salkeld is with the Reconciliation Action Group.
“If she can’t even have truth, we certainly can’t have reconciliation. If she knows anything about that history than she ought to know that what she’s saying is a bold faced lie.”
Duane Bratt is a political science professor at Mount Royal University.
“This was a scripted video with the message she wanted to deliver. And is just so historically inaccurate.”
The video has since been criticized by many, who say Smith is revising parts of history and ignoring a dark chapter of Canadian history.
Others say they’re concerned about Smith’s lack of understanding
Smith said the partnership with First Nations is one she values, but she did not apologize.
Toksook Bay, a remote town off the coast of Western Alaska, is home to Yup’ik language, hunting, boating, and the social media sensation Noah Loves Kristy.
This Valentine’s Day, Jill Fratis from our flagship station KNBA brings us the love story about the couple married for nearly 20 years.
Noah and Kristy Lincoln have six kids and a new granddaughter.
This viral duo reenacts famous movies and TV shows with a twist of Native humor.
So far, they have over 40,000 followers on Facebook and 20,000 on TikTok, and it all began while out hunting for geese with their son.
“We had our son take the camera and start recording,” Lincoln said. “It was all natural.”
For their video, Noah had Kristy do different bird calls from Raven calls, goose calls, and even a sexy swan?
“Be a sexy swan,” said Noah to Kristy in the video.
She then erupts in laughter and makes silly sounds, trying to mimic different birds.
They posted the video to their Facebook page, where it was shared and re-shared hundreds of times. It was at that moment, Noah and Kristy knew they were on to something big.
“I thought, man, we can get so many people to laugh,” Lincoln said. “Just me and my wife make the videos.”
Since the release of the popular show “Reservation Dogs” on Hulu, Native humor has been trending on social media. But Alaska Native humor is a little different and often draws upon subsistence hunting,
“Sixteen years I’ve been married. And my wife said she don’t love me anymore,” Noah pouts in the video.
The door opens and Kristy shouts back, “All I said is you’re not getting a new gun,” her way of complaining about what it’s like to be an avid hunter’s wife.
One of Kristy’s videos has even popularized the catch phrase, “Gee, whiz!”
Their social media followers have begun to mimic her sarcastic “Gee, whiz” response to things Noah says in their videos.
Kristy enjoys acting in the videos with her husband, but says it’s Noah who comes up with the ideas.
“It just comes out of the blue,” Kristy says giggling.
But life wasn’t always full of laughter for Noah. He says he once struggled with alcohol addiction.
“I was heavily into alcohol and I couldn’t keep a job,” Noah said.
After realizing what his addiction was doing to his family, Noah swore off alcohol for good.
When asked if he is sober now, he is always happy to respond, “I am so happy to say yes.”
And it makes Noah happy that the Noah Loves Kristy videos bring joy to people, especially those who have their own struggles.
“There’s this lady who lost her daughter. She was grieving for so long, she couldn’t be happy because she lost her daughter, and she came across our videos,” he said. “She started looking through the videos and she found herself laughing and laughing, like she forgot that she was grieving.”
Noah says he’s glad the videos gave her hope and healing.
“And that really has opened my eyes and my heart,” he said, getting a little choked-up. “Social media is really strong. And I believe laughter is medicine.”
One of Noah and Kristy’s followers is Anthony Lekanof from St. George Island.
He says the couple has paved the way for other Indigenous storytellers.
“If you look among the indigenous creators and comedians, we don’t have a whole lot,” says Lekanof, who believes Noah and Kristy are an inspiration to up and coming artists, whether they pursue comedy or acting. “It really enriches the Indigenous spirit that we have within in Alaska, based on how relatable Noah and Kristy are.”
“Some of their videos that I’ve been able to see, I have found to be relatable to my own upbringing in the Pribilof Islands,” Lekanof said.
For those who aren’t Native but enjoy the videos, it’s a reminder that no matter your culture, we all have one thing in common – the need to laugh, the one thing Noah and Kristy supply plenty of.
They also make it a point to sprinkle in messages of inspiration and hope – that go on to say that at the end of the day, family and faith are everything.
Noah Lincoln: “Praise God. Quyana Lord. I thank God for everything. Everything happens for a reason for his purpose, thank you Lord.”
With all of the fame and notoriety that comes with their popular skits, Noah and Kristy Lincoln are proud to say they remain humble and happy in Toksook Bay, surrounded by family and the wilderness.
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