Motion Capture Technology for Yukon Indigenous Storytelling

Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’ works with the Carcross Tagish First Nation as the company’s senior collaborator Outpost 31. He feels like a superhero when he wears the first motion capture suit available in the Yukon.

” I’m like the Tlingit superhero the kids look up to. There are a few people who call me Super Tlingit. »

He sees many opportunities for storytelling and cultural education in his community through this costume.

Last week, he hosted an event where he demonstrated the power of costume by dancing to students at Ghùch Tlâ school. At the same time, the students could watch a live animation of his movements on a screen placed behind him.

I wanted everyone to see that there are good things happening and there is a chance to show more of our stories because many of our captions and stories are amazingasserts Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’.

Beyond dance, he sees potential for using the costume for different cultural education purposes, such as recording people speaking their language or a sculptor doing his work.

Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’ wears the motion capture suit while his movements are animated live on the screen behind him.

Photo: Danielle d’Entremont/CBC

Jayden Soroka, the creator and lead animator at Outpost 31is also enthusiastic about the suit’s potential.

Young people can make a career out of recording data or working with elders, community members or storytellers to create a library of digitally preserved content, stories and cultures that can be shared as they wish at home. cominghe said.

The studio has no intellectual property rights to the stories, says Jayden Soroka. The First Nations using the technology will own the end product and decide how to archive, share and use it.

Ultimately, he hopes the studio can set up a mobile storytelling support unit, which will include motion capture as well as other technologies, which could travel to different communities to offer its services there. where interest arises.

We have access to the costume and it may be available for communities to save what they need. Our hope is to [développer et renforcer les compétences] and create opportunitieshe says.

Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’ (left) and Jayden Soroka previously collaborated on a motion-captured animated film telling the story of an early hunt called The Provider.

Photo: Danielle d’Entremont/CBC

At Carcross, technology has already caught the eye of some. Eighth grade student Nord Bellancourt participated in the event organized by Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’ by playing the drum.

It’s amazing because you can really get involved with your community and do projects outside of school and that’s really coolhe exclaims.

In the future, Keinas.áx̱ Łdóos Kaanáx̱ Ḵuwóox’ hopes to continue wearing the costume to inspire future generations to take matters into their own hands.

If I had to describe [mon super-pouvoir]I inspire everyone around me to do more and better, to do what those before us were doinghe imagines.

With information from Danielle d’Entremont