Actor Nathaniel Arcand explains that everything is made of atoms, from the ocean to the mountains, air and us. We’re all connected. Indigenous ancestors used chemistry when they preserved foods, made medicine, and sealed canoes.

When Cree actress Glenda Klassan was young, she watched the elders use chemistry to tan hides for clothes and moccasins. They honoured the animals they hunted by using all the parts.

Christie Lee Charles of the Musqueam Nation performs a lively Halkomelem (Hul'qumi'num) hip hop music piece, and in the animated story “Kokum and the Spider” Kokum finds ancient sea-salt deposits for her stew. Kai makes glue using the chemical reactions of milk mixed with vinegar and baking soda.

Cree senator, Dr. Lillian Dyck, a role model for girls in science, was a neuroscientist who studied brain chemistry and worked on treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The questers learn about the chemical effects of baking powder in bannock. Chemistry is the science of combining different elements from the periodic table to make compounds.

Chickasaw Nation astronaut, John Herrington, describes the scientific process indigenous women used to make hominy; when corn was mixed with alkaline wood ash, nixtamalization made the corn easier to digest and store.

COYOTE’S CRAZY SMART SCIENCE SHOW (Coyote Science) is a fun, educational science series designed for elementary students. Drawing on wisdom from pioneers in Indigenous education, including Dr. Leroy Little Bear, Amethyst First Rider, and Dr. Lorna Williams, Coyote Science bridges the worlds of Indigenous and Western science, teaching kids scientific concepts through discussions with Indigenous scientists, storytelling, animation, music, and experiments.

BIO: Created by Loretta Todd, a Métis–Cree filmmaker who was one of the first Indigenous women to pursue film studies at Simon Fraser University in BC. Loretta is an amateur science geek who always wanted to inspire Indigenous children and youth to learn more about science, especially Indigenous science. Using her creative skills as a creative, L. S. Todd is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning filmmaker known for powerful, visual storytelling and cultural leadership.