Indigenous artist Iskwé worked with students from the Digital Lodge project to make a music video for her song The Unforgotten ft. Tanya Tagaq. Over two days at Tonkiri, the students with the help of filmmakers, shot and edited the video.
Students built a Tribe Called Red puppet show and recorded it for use in their music video for the song "How I Feel".
In May, 2017, the Digital Lodge youth from Thompson traveled south to Winnipeg and visited Tonkiri Integrative Wellness & Learning Centre on the Whitemouth River. There they worked on a music video for the song "How I feel" by electronic producers A Tribe Called Red and singer/songwriter Leonard Sumner. Leonard was on hand to meet the youth and for them to record his part of the video.
For the third year in a row, students from the Digital Lodge project screened their films inside the lodge built on the grounds of Juniper School.
The Digital Lodge students are joined by students from Hugh John Macdonald School in Winnipeg and together they visit the local sacred site to learn the Cree way of life. They learn about the sweat lodge, medicinal plants, drumming and traditional Cree teachings.
Guest artist Leslie Supnet led a workshop with the Digital Lodgers on paper cut out animations. After watching some of her films and learning the tricks of the trade, this is what the students came up with on their own.
The Lodge was a success again in year two despite many close calls with the weather. The students were proud to share their work with their parents and the community.
Juniper's Grade 8 class learned a lot in Winnipeg where they: cycled through the city with Hugh John Macdonald School friends, celebrating that ‘We Are All Treaty People’; and visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, the Manitoba Legislative Building, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Mike Maryniuk taught the basics of animation by using classic claymation techniques