Original subtitles

[Makayla] I'm so nervous.

I've never done anything like this before.

But I think I can win...

because I'm really smart.

I have to learn 400 words.

That's a lot of words.

And it's the first time ever that First Nations kids

get to go to a big spelling bee.

I can't wait.

One day, I want to go off the reserve

and see what's out there.

[barking]

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

But I study a lot.

I listen in school.

I follow the rules.

And I'm a good student.

[Valance] Makayla, my daughter, is just amazing.

She has a drive

like no other kid I've seen at her age.

A determination.

She's super-athletic.

She's just my world.

Ever since the day she was born,

she just stole my heart right away.

I got another daughter, too-- McKinley, her younger sister.

I feel the same way about her,

but Makayla, she's my firstborn

and we have that bond,

and it's always going to be there.

No biting, Wiley. No biting.

-[whimpers] -No biting.

Makayla gets her smarts from her dad.

[both laugh]

I was an A student, too, back in the day, yeah.

-[motor buzzing] -[dog barking]

[Valance] Seeing people on the reserve,

a lot of people are talented on this reserve, and smart,

but they never further their education after grade 12.

They stick around and get mediocre jobs.

And I know firsthand

because I got caught up in all of that stuff.

And I know the abilities my daughter has

and I don't want her to shortchange herself.

[laughs] Can you clean my glasses?

I'm always cleaning you and Mom's glasses.

-Better? -Now it's clear, yeah.

Okay, spell "extinguisher."

E-X-T-I-N-G-U-I-S-H-E-R.

Correct. You're peeking.

-I'm not peeking. -I'm just kidding.

[chuckles]

Okay, spell "frenzy."

Okay, when we're doing this practicing,

it's okay if you get it wrong every now and then.

But when you're onstage and you're at the spelling bee,

you got to make sure you get every word right.

As soon as you get it wrong, you're going to be done.

Frenzy?

"Frantic or agitated activity."

Frenzy.

Stay positive and don't start overthinking the situation

because once you start overthinking things,

then you lose focus.

Just try to keep your mind calm and clear.

F-R-E-N-Z-Y.

Correct. Good job. You know it.

Okay, this one.

Spell "Filipino."

Capital F-I-L-I-P-I-N-O.

[Valance] "Existence."

E-X-I-S-T-E-N-C-E.

Good job again.

[laughs]

[Valance] We can't really tell the difference

because we grew up in this area,

but I guess other people that don't live around this area

say this is the ghetto of the reserve,

I guess you can call it,

mainly because it's a lot of people crowded in one area.

It's not really like that anywhere else

and they don't have the same problems we have.

But I'm used to it.

Chantelle's used to it.

When you're First Nations, you don't consider yourself

different or better than anybody else.

You're equal. You're all equal in this world.

We're all equal.

We're as equal as the dirt we walk on.

We're as equal as the grass that grows, the water.

You learn to be humble

and you learn to be not so judgmental.

And you just learn to live in peace and harmony

with everything around you.

[laughs]

I'm, like, really strict with my kids.

They say I'm mean, but I don't think I am.

I just like them to be better than any other kids

that are their age right now.

Some of them are into drugs.

Some of them are smoking at 10 years old.

And that's so not right.

[both laugh]

[Chantelle] Makayla, she's going to get somewhere

when she's older.

It doesn't really matter to me what she chooses to do

after she leaves Onion Lake.

It just matters to me that she comes back and visits.

But first of all,

I want her to finish her education.

That's the most important thing.

[yelps and laughs]

[Makayla] Go get another one.

-[dog barking] -[kids playing]

[Cecelia] I want you to see...

In case you get hungry, yeah?

[laughs]

[William II] Just lick on the shell.

[Cecelia] Remember, this is your last powwow as warrior.

-[William II] As war kings. -[Cecelia] So make it count.

Dance hard

during your grand entry and your intertribals.

All right, you're ready to exit.

-[rhythmic percussion] -[chanting]

[male announcer, over P.A.] Ladies and gentlemen,

we welcome Royalty.

Come on in here.

Royalty, come forward.

It's grand entry time.

[William] My favorite thing about living on the reserve is the powwows.

When I'm dancing at powwows, I feel happy.

[chanting and drums beating]

[William II] William Kaysaywaysemat III.

He is an awesome child.

Very talented.

His friends follow him, emulate him,

just want to be around him.

He's a leader.

We all provide different inputs for him,

and he's like a sponge.

He just absorbs everything.

He likes to challenge us.

He's a very competitive young boy.

And he hates to be wrong

and he hates to lose.

And...

you know, I always tease him.

"I think you get that from your mother."

[laughs]

If I were to describe William in one word,

I would say he is a go-getter.

And I see that even in everything,

like sports, academics.

He's competitive in academics. He's very--

He gets hard on himself.

Nobody is hard on him, but he's hard on himself.

I mean, at eight years old,

you really should be out there having fun.

But then I look at it and I think,

he likes that.

That's who he is.

[birds chirping]

[William] When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.

A doctor who saves people's lives.

I do not want to stay on the reserve forever.

I want to go travel around the world,

to go see how it is in different countries

and their traditions.

I'm going to go to school

and then go back to the reserve.

[Cecelia] William, he has high goals for himself

and we want to help him achieve what he wants.

It's nice to stay on the reserve, yes.

It's home, it's comfort.

But you have to get that education,

and you need to go, you need to leave.

My dad was a residential school survivor,

and he loved us dearly.

But not knowing how to parent

in a nurturing way...

he couldn't do that.

Like, he just--

He didn't receive that, so he couldn't do it.

Clear your plate.

[Cecelia] I want that cycle to stop,

to make sure that his future is secure,

his future is bright, his future is safe.

I want better for my son.

Cool. Cool.

[William II] Yeah, it is cool when you learn.

No matter what, son,

the key is to enjoy yourself, right?

Yeah.

And to know...

you don't always have to be the best.

As long as you try your hardest, that's all that really matters.

All right?

Because the harder you try, the better you're going to get.

So...

what do you think your chances are?

100%.

[laughs]

It's good to have confidence, son.

It is good, but you still need some studying.

[Evan] First Nations kids are federally funded

and we get about $600 to $800 per kid,

whereas the kids that don't go to schools on First Nations

are provincially funded,

and they are worth $11,000 per kid.

The funding gap is, you know, 4,200-ish,

somewhere in there, per kid.

And if you times that by the 190 kids, you know,

that's about $795,000

that we're under-funded at this school.

That's just our school, let alone all the other

First Nations schools in Canada.

It absolutely breaks my heart right now,

but the reality of it is I need to teach

math and English more than I need to teach Cree.

It's a sad reality, but I got to get these kids ready

for what's out in the world when they leave our school.

My mentality is we need to get out there

and experience the world.

And as much as I'd love them to speak Cree,

I don't think speaking Cree would get them very far.

Sometimes I want to...

stab myself in the eye with a pen just to thank them

because it's not how it's supposed to be on a reserve.

You know, you get these francophone schools

that get thousands of dollars to preserve language and culture.

I wish it was mandatory for all non-Aboriginals

to come and see reserves,

and then paint their picture.

And there's an old saying:

Never judge a person

until you've walked a mile in their moccasins.

[woman] Okay, ready to spell?

-Yeah. -And game face on?

-Yeah. -Ready to go?

Okay, let's do this.

Okay, your first word is "era."

-Era? -Era.

E-R-A.

Very good.

"Yarnspinner."

Y-A-R-N-S-P-I-N-N-E-R.

-Yarnspinner. -Way to go.

"Mingle."

M-I-N-G-L-E.

There you go.

[Evan] Little things like the spelling bee,

the athletics programs we do and the science fairs we do,

those are the little things that we can try to do

that the school can offer.

And it's amazing what we can do in society with parents

that just put some time into their children.

Oh, it's "hadrosaur." I said it wrong.

Hadrosaur.

Om...

H-A-D-R-O-S-A-U-R.

-Hadrosaur. -There you go.

Good job, bud.

[woman] You know what? To be honest with you,

some of the words I've never even heard.

So that's why we need to make sure

that we go over all the words

and practice like it's the real thing

because practice makes...?

-[kids] Perfect. -[woman] Perfect. Awesome.

So you're doing your best, and doing your best

means you come up nicely, you stand,

you face everybody, and you don't be shy

because we're all proud of you.

Where you're going, it's awesome and you earned it.

[school bell chimes]

[Thomas] I'm so excited about this spelling bee

because if I win, I get to go to Toronto.

And if I go to Toronto,

I have a chance to win the National Spelling Bee.

My teacher says I'm the smartest kid in the class.

And I like to compete against other people

because it's fun and it helps you learn more.

[Danielle] Thomas is 10 years old.

He is so smart that he gets everything.

As soon as you tell him something, he remembers it.

He's got, like, that steel-trap mind, you know?

Every year in school since grade 1,

he's won the math award.

He always asks a million questions.

-Oh, did I... -[laughs]

[Danielle] He has three sisters: two older and one younger.

-Where's Rachel? -She just went down to soccer.

Oh. Yes. Does she play soccer?

Yeah, she just started to play.

[Danielle] He's my one and only baby boy.

-How about now? -It doesn't work on me anymore.

Hold on.

[Danielle] There's a lot of strong women in his family,

and he's going to really respect women when he grows up.

[laughing]

I'm a single mother,

so I don't really have the money to take them a lot of places.

But my kids don't ask for things

because there's a lot of kids Thomas's age

that haven't even gone to town.

When their parents get money, they don't take them

because they don't have the vehicle, you know?

We've been very lucky that we do have a vehicle,

and it's a treat for them just to go to town.

Have they started doing the practices at school?

Yeah, yesterday.

How many kids are in there?

Five.

-Just the five of you? -Mm-hmm.

[Danielle] I think Thomas will go farther

than a lot of people expect him to.

He surprises everyone.

I don't think you'll have too hard of a time with these.

I think three of the kids are in grade 3

because they're all 8.

[Danielle] Thomas comes from a long line of people

who strived for things to be better for us,

and I hope to pass that down to him.

I tell him stories about it all the time.

"Cluster, coast..."

[Danielle] I'd like to see him go to university.

That's a big thing in our family.

Education is super-important.

[Thomas] "Draft, drowsy..."

[Danielle] And we go through tons of books.

Sometimes two, three a day.

[toy narrating book text]

[Danielle] Living on the reserve,

we're kind of cut off from a lot of places,

especially when the weather's bad,

but I love it.

I love it to death because it's like a big family.

I don't really worry too much about my kids

when they go visiting somewhere

because it's usually a cousin.

[chuckles]

We're related to, like, 95% of the reserve,

and the other 5% have been my close friends for years, so...

I think that's part of our culture, you know.

Even the people that aren't directly related to you,

we still call them cousin or brother or sister.

-[indistinct chatter] -[laughter]

[Savannah] I wanted to let everybody know

that I'm smarter than the way I am.

People, they used to bug me a lot

and try to bully me.

But now I'm going to show them

that I can actually do something without their help.

I'm doing it to make my dad proud and my family proud,

especially my best friend

because she encouraged me to do this.

Come on, Josie. I don't wanna fish without you.

Josie, hurry up.

[screams and laughter]

[Josie] Pick up, fishies.

I'm here to eat you.

[laughs]

When nobody's looking.

Okay, let's do it.

[Josie] Fish! Wake up!

[Savannah] I was really nervous at first

for a lot of things.

She encouraged me to do everything,

like all the sports, the spelling bee.

This is my first time trying.

[Josie] Look at Savannah's feet!

[laughs] All right, Savannah!

I know.

Look, there's so much ice in my shoe.

[Katherine] We're working towards getting that first, second, and third.

That's our goal.

And you're going there to represent the school,

you're going there to represent your community,

and you're going there to represent you.

This isn't just a spelling bee test.

This is a life lesson, right?

When you see something that's really hard to reach,

but you're going to do it anyway.

It can feel very scary to know that any one of those 400 words

are going to get thrown at you,

but you can do it.

So when you're studying those long words,

we want to work together to do this.

So, if any one of you ends up going to be the one

to go to Toronto

and you got to go on a plane--

Scary. I've never gone on a plane.

--that means we're going to all support that person

to go there and study for them, too, right?

I think we need at least, like, a hundred more to do all this.

It stops at Z. There's only one Z word and one Y word.

-Really? -Yeah.

[Savannah] At least I'm doing something with you

because we never did anything for a while.

I know.

[Katherine] Out of the 10 girls for the spelling bee,

I thought Savannah would be a good student

to focus on a little more

because she has a lot of things in life

that she's going through.

And yet, she seems like she's almost a little tougher

than the rest because of it.

It's not something that's broken her.

It's almost become something that makes her want

to prove something even more.

And she's actually studying with Josie,

someone who's going to push harder than the rest and say,

"Hey, I want to get that first place,"

because it can be a challenge to grow up on a reserve.

And you're constantly hearing it, you know,

in articles and things that talk about First Nation students

and how they're not likely to succeed.

So there's a reason for school.

There's a reason to do well in a spelling bee.

[Randy] Savannah's mom was a real hardworking mom,

but really cared for Savannah all the time.

Even slept with her all the time,

just the two of them.

They were that close.

And she talks in her sleep,

and talks to her mom in her sleep.

And it was really, really hard for us

when she left us, eh?

She lost control of a vehicle,

and she wasn't wearing her seat belt.

She got thrown from that vehicle.

Then I got the call.

The only thing that was on my mind

was Savannah right away, you know?

She was only 8 1/2, I guess.

Now she's 14.

It's been five years.

I was real happy when she entered the spelling bee.

I'm not going to force her, what she wants to be,

but I want her to be...

to be something, you know?

I don't want her staying around the reserve.

It's a dead end for everybody, I guess.

There's over 3,000 people here, so jobs are scarce.

And it's quite a ways to the city.

It's 65 miles, you know?

I think we have a good chance of winning

because we've been studying a lot

and we've been going to our meetings during lunchtime.

You and who?

Me, Josie, and Trista.

We might need to go camp because it's on April 8th.

I was going to call Josie after and study with her.

Losing my mom was probably the main reason

I started to get bullied a lot more.

The only true friend that I had was Josie that stuck by me.

Boy, this day's going by real fast, eh?

Yeah.

It's probably, like, what? 5:30, 6:00?

[Josie] It's a nice day out, but I'm cold.

I'm pretty nervous for the spelling bee

in North Battleford, though.

Not me.

The good thing is that you'll be there with me.

Yeppers.

[Savannah] Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct chatter]

[children babbling]

[Josie] There's, like, 15 people

that live with me in my house.

I like living with them

because all of them love me and take care of me.

I am happy here.

I never want to leave them.

Ever.

[laughs]

My grandparents raised me ever since I was a baby,

but I just take them as my parents.

I call them Mom and Dad.

I don't know anything about my birth mother.

All I know is that she was young when she had me

and she gave me to my grandparents.

I like it because I know all my traditional stuff

and I can talk Cree.

And if I wasn't with my kokum,

I probably wouldn't know this stuff.

[Dennis] Josie's been with us about 14 years now.

I'm hoping someday I get to see her graduate

and move on...

because I know how this reserve is.

It's not that it's bad, but...

when you hang around with the wrong people...

there's been bad things.

Me, I got my culture to think about,

and I tell them all the good things.

And so far, they're listening, and I hope they listen.

I just want her to go all the way.

That's my feeling.

Because I know she's smart

and I think she can do it.

Tell me those...

I circled the capitals. Tell me them.

Okay...

I have to say "capital A" before I spell it

for a 10 out of 10.

We have to say every little thing.

Like this-- Look, a hyphen.

We have to spell it F-I-L-M-hyphen-M-A-K-E-R.

[Marion] Why don't you read the questions?

You've got to know the meaning of all these words.

You'll know how to spell it. You'll know what they mean.

What if I'm on the stage,

I forget all these words completely?

That happens to some people at the competition.

They'll just forget everything.

You just have to keep practicing.

Practice and practice. You will remember--

The only words I don't practice are the--

I'm pretty sure the Ps.

Well, you should practice them.

-Get more better. -I know.

Try and go to sleep.

[Josie] I have two baby cousins that I babysit

every time my dad has dialysis treatment.

And I have to miss school.

But I love my baby cousin,

so I don't mind missing school.

[geese honking]

[Julie] Wow.

This is huge.

Big school.

There's a lot of land space

and this must be really good for the children.

What I'm really looking forward to...

meeting the students, meeting the people.

This is a nice home, too.

You know what I love about being a part of the spelling bee?

It brings the entire community out.

And I just love that

because each and every one of us have a responsibility

to ensure that our children are reading.

I mean, some people look at it and say,

"Well, spelling's not important."

It's a foundation.

Learning begins with reading.

And so we're hoping that for the children who do participate,

that they will notice that difference for themselves.

It will build their confidence,

especially a child who felt that they couldn't,

or someone who didn't believe that they could,

and here we are, we're engaging them.

You know, treating them with love and respect,

and encourage them

because, if nothing more, that's what they need.

Each and every one of us needs that.

[Katherine] Sometimes leaving the community

and going to a spelling bee

where there's other First Nations kids,

it's exciting.

It's like watching them bloom

because now they're going to go out there

and show what they can accomplish.

And I want them to have that feeling

when they are ready to leave the school,

when they're ready to go to university.

To say, "There's a lot of people out there,

"but I'm going to make a point

and I'm going to make a place for myself."

[kids chattering and laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

-Ready to go? -Yes.

[Julie] My name is Julie Spence,

and I've been with Spelling Bee of Canada for 29 years,

so they call me the founder, right, who started it all.

Now, here's what happens.

You're going to try your best.

Some words you're gonna spell correctly, some incorrectly.

Remember that you are already winners.

-What are you? -[kids] Winners!

[Julie] Good, and please don't quit on yourself

when you get to the microphone.

Even if you're not absolutely sure, guess.

But don't not try. Okay?

Sometimes guess works, too, okay?

Good luck, everybody.

[female announcer, over P.A.] In partnership

with the Spelling Bee of Canada,

we are proud to host the first ever

First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee,

where our winners would have the opportunity

to go and compete at the National Spelling Bee

in Toronto next month.

This investment in our young ones

provides the future, future direction,

future leadership, for our communities

for generations to come.

There's never been a First Nation

Provincial Spelling Bee across Canada.

We are making history today.

This is a historical event.

[woman] We will now begin the primary category.

Words are in scrambled order,

taken from the official spelling manual.

Your word is "freshen."

-What? -[woman] Freshen.

-Freshen? -[woman] Freshen.

I don't know how to do this.

[woman] You can do it. Just try.

F-R-E...

S-H-E-N.

Correct.

[applause]

[woman] "Mindset."

-Mindset? -[woman] Mindset.

Mindset?

[woman] Yes. Mindset.

M-I-N-D-S-E-T.

[woman 2] Correct.

[woman] Your word is "ravine."

Ravine.

R...?

E...

[woman] Your word is "ravine."

-Ravine? -[woman] Ravine.

Ravine.

R-E-V...

E-E-N?

Incorrect.

[woman 3] 6-8-6-5-5-3.

William.

[woman] Your word is "switch."

Switch. S-W-I-T-C-H.

[woman 2] Correct.

[Cecelia] Even though I couldn't be there,

through texts and through pictures that he was sending me,

it was almost like I was there.

[woman] Your word is "tempo."

T-E-M-P-O.

[woman 2] Correct.

[Cecelia] Oh, my gosh.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

I was so excited

when Will was texting me the words.

"This is his word and he got it right.

This is his word, he got it right."

And I would just look at the background and think,

"Wow, that many were eliminated and he's still there."

[woman] "Hopeless."

H-O-P-E-L-E-S-S.

[woman] "Recorder."

R-E-C-O-R-D-E-R.

Correct.

[William II] It was very, very nerve-racking

to sit there and watch my son onstage

and do so well.

The thing was I didn't even know what words he knew.

[woman 2] At this point,

if the contestant spells the word correctly,

plus the next word,

then he will be declared champion.

Good luck.

[woman] Your word is "together."

T-O...

G-E-T-E-R?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[boy] T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R.

-Together. -[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[woman] "Brew."

What?

[laughter]

[woman] "Brew."

Brew.

B-R-U-E?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[woman 3] William.

B-R-E-W.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[woman] Your word is "resolve."

"Results"?

[woman] "Resolve."

Can I get a definition, please?

[woman] Yes, you may.

"To decide firmly on a consent of action."

R-E-S-O-L-V-E.

[woman 2] Correct.

[woman 4] And our first place winner is 6-8-6-5-5-3.

William.

Instant tears. It was instant tears.

I was like, "Oh, my God, I am so happy!"

[laughs]

I felt like such a dork,

but it was... it was huge.

It was huge.

[William II] I'm so proud that...

Of course it brings tears to my eyes

because it just makes me so happy.

I really,

really am proud of my son.

He amazes me all the time.

[woman] We will now begin with the junior category.

I would like to encourage all of our participants

to listen and speak clearly and slowly into the microphone.

Your word is "compile."

Compile.

C-O-M-P-I-L-E?

-"Hardy"? -[woman] Hardy.

H-A-R-D-Y.

"Woodpile."

W-O-O-D-P-I-L-E.

[woman 2] Correct.

[Chantelle] It was nerve-racking sitting there.

Every time she went up, I'd just want to, like,

walk out the room or close my eyes.

[laughs]

[woman] Your word is "international."

"Construct."

"Heritage."

"Stench."

S-T-E-N-C-H.

-[woman 2] Correct. -[applause]

[woman] Your word is a homophone.

"Draughts."

In England,

the game of checkers is called "draughts."

Are you going to try to spell the word?

Do you need a drink of water?

We will have to rule this as incorrect.

You may take your seat.

"Draughts."

D...

R...

D-R-A-U...

F-T-S.

Draughts.

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[woman 3] 0-3-3-1-9-0.

Thomas.

[woman] Your word is...

"consolation."

Constellation?

[woman] Consolation.

Consolation.

C-O-N-S...

E-L-A-T-I-O-N?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[Thomas] I only studied the first seven pages.

Maybe that's what the problem was.

Maybe I needed to study a bit more.

I think that your kids are more important.

And giving them the chance to do stuff...

to get out of here

and just be happy,

that's the most important thing.

[woman 3] 1-1-9-0-9-0.

Makayla.

[woman] Your word is "pummeled."

Pummeled.

P-U-M-M-E-L-L-E-D.

Comet. C-O-M-E-T.

Informal.

I-N-F-O-R-M-A-L.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[Valance] I was just sitting on pins and needles.

And a couple of times, too, I would think she got it wrong.

I'd be like, "Oh, she got it wrong."

And then all I hear is the announcer go "correct."

And then I just..."yes!"

[woman] Your word is "monetary."

Monetary.

M-O-N-I-T-A-R-Y.

Monetary.

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[woman 3] Makayla.

[Makayla] Monetary.

M-O-N-E-T-A-R-Y.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[woman 3] Makayla, you have to spell

two words correct in a row.

[woman 2] Again, grab the mic.

[woman] Your word is "economics."

E-C-O...

N-O...

M-I-C-S.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[woman 4] So, ladies and gentlemen,

Makayla is our first place winner.

[no audio]

[Chantelle] First thing I did, I called my mom,

and my voice just wanted to cry.

I guess I was overjoyed.

[Valance] After the competition,

I asked her how she felt about me pushing her

and pressuring her.

And she thanked me.

[laughs]

[indistinct chatter]

[woman] Your word is "dialysis."

D-I-A-L-I-S...

I-S?

-[woman 2] Incorrect. -Ah.

[woman] Your word is "bittersweet."

"Symbolism."

"Auctioneer."

A-U-C-T-I-O-N-E-E-R?

[woman 2] Correct.

[woman 3] 1-7-4-1-1-7. Josie.

[woman] Your word is...

"gallons."

Gallons.

G-A-L-L-O-N-S.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[Josie] When I was on the stage,

the whole time I was scared.

And happy.

Guzzle.

G-U-Z-Z-L-E.

[woman 2] Correct.

[Katherine] I watched every single one of them go up there,

and I was like, "Oh, please, please let them get through.

You know, please let them see what they can accomplish."

[woman] "Commitment."

"Sandalwood."

"Nerve-racking."

[woman 3] Savannah Nicks.

[woman] Your word is "huddled."

Huddled.

H-A-U-L-T-E-D.

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[sighs]

I was really proud of myself to make it that far.

I made a lot of friends.

I had a really great time with Josie.

It really was great for me, actually,

because I got to pronounce a lot more words.

I got to know a lot more words.

And I technically became smarter.

[Katherine] Oh, I was so proud of her.

The struggle is there,

and she still went past that and made herself very proud.

[Josie] I felt bad. I wanted to cry.

I could use Savannah.

Abdomen.

A-B-D-O-M-E-N.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[Savannah] Josie was right beside me

through the whole thing and I'm really proud of her.

And Miss Masuskapoe, she's really proud of her.

[woman] Your word is "apprentice."

Apprentice.

A-P-P-R-E-N-T-I-C-E.

Correct.

[applause]

[woman 3] We will now be moving into the tiebreaker round.

Your word is...

"porous."

Can you repeat that?

[woman] "Porous."

P-O-U-R-I-C-E?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

I don't remember that word "porous" in the book.

[girl] Can you use it in a sentence?

[woman] The cheesecloth was porous enough

to strain the liquid from the jam.

Porous.

P-O-R-U-S?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

Can we get the two that got their words correct

to move over to the side?

And we'll now be going for third place.

[woman] Your word is "valid."

Can you repeat that?

[woman] Valid.

V-A-L-I-D.

[woman 2] Correct.

[applause]

[woman] Your word is "reshuffle."

R-E-S-H-U-F-F-L-E.

Correct.

[woman] Your word is "lopsided."

-Can you repeat that? -[woman] Lopsided.

Lopsided...

[woman] Would you like to hear the definition?

"Lopsided: with one side lower and smaller than the other."

L-O-F-T-S-I-D-E?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[Josie] I heard "loftsided."

She said "loftsided."

I could have won,

but I don't think I ever studied that word.

I was happy I came in fourth place.

[laughs] I'm excited even though,

you know, I watched Josie go up there and battle it out

for third place, and I was like, "Oh, right on, Josie.

You know, you can do this, you can do this."

And, you know, even though my students didn't make it,

they wanted to go up and they wanted to meet

the person who came in first.

[announcer] Winning with the words

"millipede" and "calibrate"

is the champion of the Intermediate Division,

coming from Saulteaux Heritage School,

Alexander Johansson.

[applause]

Alexander, Makayla, and William

will be representing Saskatchewan

at the National Competition in Toronto in May.

Congratulations to all of our spelling bee competitors.

You all did a great job.

Today, we have all been a part of history,

competing and attending the first ever

First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee.

[Alexander] It felt very good

to win the provincial spelling bee.

Holding the trophy, getting a lot of pictures--

it was pretty...

amazing.

I really liked it.

Everyone's proud of him, especially from our community.

They're like, "Wow. Wow, you're so smart."

[laughs]

I was nervous for him,

but he didn't even look nervous at all.

[laughter]

And then he told me that he just about

let that other girl win.

He was, like, going to deliberately lose

just to let her win.

And then he thought, nope, I'd better spell the word right.

[all laugh]

[dog barking]

Buddy, stop barking.

[Alexander] I really like living here at Saulteaux.

All I pretty much remember is living here.

Good boy.

It's awesome.

You get to go hiking, get to go camping.

You don't have a short yard.

You don't have to worry about getting hit by a car

when you cross the street.

It's pretty fun here.

One day, I will have to leave from this house.

But I'm fine with that.

You can't live with your parents forever.

I do think I'll graduate high school and go to college.

You could become a lawyer or perhaps doctor.

That makes me want to be smart.

So I try hard in school.

I do my best

in what subjects I can do.

Education is really important because you can get a job,

you can go to college, you can do a lot of things.

Good morning, CKCS, on this beautiful Thursday, April 14th.

A nice spring and summer day outside there.

And we have a champion amongst us.

Mr. William Kaysaywaysemat III was the overall champion

for the grade 1-3 category.

So, William, great job. You're a rock star.

He now qualifies for the spelling bee

in Toronto, Ontario, on May 15th.

So have an awesome day, CKCS.

[all cheer]

[woman] Go, William!

[Evan] I'm so proud of what William's done.

We're such a small little place on this world.

You know, Kahkewistahaw-- who would have thought

even three months ago that we'd have a kid

going to the National Spelling Bee in Toronto?

[all, chanting] William! William! William!

[Evan] There's so many people

that should take credit for this

'cause this was good for our people.

Whether he goes and answers no words right

or 20 words right,

he's already paving the way for next year.

Like, they're icebreakers right now

because our kids are already starting practicing

for the spelling bee.

[Cecelia] Okay, here's a tricky one.

"Entice."

-Entice? -[Cecelia] Entice.

Entice.

E-N-T-I-S-E.

Entice.

[Cecelia] Nope.

Oh, boy, we're really going to have to go over these.

Well, these are the ones I got wrong last time.

[Cecelia] I know, that's why we're going over them again.

E-N-T-I-C-E.

All right.

Hmm, ha! I don't even know what this means.

But..."kente."

"Kente."

K-E-N...

T-A-I?

[Cecelia] Oh, you were close.

K-E-N-T-E.

"Fathom."

-"Fathom." -[William] Fathom.

F-A-T-H-U-M.

Close.

F-A-T-H-O-M.

Okay? Oh, man, these are hard.

[chuckles] But that's okay.

You can do this.

Okay, here's another tricky one.

"Federal." "Federal."

"Federal."

Sound it out. Take your time.

You can do this.

Don't be so hard on yourself, William.

"Federal."

F-E-D...

[sniffles]

[William sobs]

Hey, look at me.

You can do this.

I have so much faith in you.

[sobbing and sniffling]

William...

That's why we're studying.

Okay? Take a deep breath.

[inhales and exhales]

Deep breath.

It's okay.

Okay? It's not-- This is not worth crying over.

Right? It's not worth crying over.

This is a fun thing.

Yes, we have to work, to study.

Yes, you got to do some work, okay?

It's fine. It's fine.

Don't put so much pressure on yourself, William.

You're only eight years old.

It's fine, okay?

Look at me and say, "Okay."

Okay.

[sniffles]

Okay.

Tell me when you're ready to go again.

[William] I'm ready.

[Cecelia] "Impossible."

Impossible.

I-M-P-O...

S-S-I-B-L-E?

[Cecelia] Good man!

So proud of you. You're doing awesome.

"Mortar."

"Mortar."

Or "mor-ter."

Mor-tar.

M-O-R-T-A-R.

-Mortar. -Yes.

Good job.

Now, what else can we throw onto this poster?

"You can do anything"?

There you go.

[both laugh]

[Valance] Since she won the spelling bee,

her favorite name has been Queen Bee.

I think it was her uncle that first called her that.

"Oh, it's the queen bee," and then that name just stuck.

It's actually all surreal right now at the moment.

I can't believe my daughter's going to compete

at a national level.

She's only 11.

That doesn't happen too often on a reserve.

That's my gift to you.

Oh, cool! Where'd you get it?

-Look at that. -Where'd you get it made?

[woman] That's a bee and your winning word.

Look at that.

[Valance] Everybody's very, very supportive in this community.

Everybody's behind Makayla 100%.

People that we never talk to or hardly associate with,

but then there's also her five aunties.

Every single one of her aunties are just independent,

they're strong, they're smart, beautiful.

And that's exactly how Chantelle is

and I know that's exactly how Makayla's going to be.

I'm really proud of that because in our culture,

women are the backbone of the family.

They're the matriarchs.

Really know how to hold a family down.

[all] Good luck, Makayla!

Whoo!

[indistinct chatter]

[William II] You know where my razor is?

[Cecelia] It's in the drawer.

[William II] You grab your toothbrush?

[Cecelia] Yes, I have my toothbrush.

It's in my makeup bag.

This goes in there.

Okay, go in your room and get your spelling bee T-shirt

and your Toronto Blue Jays medallion.

I got hairspray, makeup.

I have perfume.

What kind of earrings are you going to wear?

These are my thinking ones.

Okay, we can take them and we'll see.

Another option could be these ones.

[William] Yeah.

[Cecelia] And then I have to look for those shell ones.

We've been waiting for this moment,

for this day to come.

And I know that William is going to be

in front of I don't know how many people.

And I'm really nervous for him, but we're all excited.

The whole family.

Are you ready, William?

-We're going to do it, right? -[William] Yep.

[William II] All right, here we go.

[William] Bye, house.

[William II] This is going to be

the very first time

my entire family has gone somewhere together.

All right, we officially left the reserve.

[laughs]

Bye-bye, person.

[Cecelia] William, are you nervous?

I don't know.

[William II] You got nothing to be nervous about.

You just be yourself

and remember all the things that you practiced

and you will be awesome.

[Cecelia] Yep.

[William II] And you're trying.

That's the best thing that anyone can do.

You never know what you're going to do until you try.

Ah!

I'm nervous.

[Valance] Oh, our first time on a plane.

And of all days, it has to be on Friday the 13th.

I'm not really superstitious, but, you know,

that's in the back of our heads.

[Chantelle] I just told her to pray

before she goes on the plane.

[announcer, over P.A.] Ladies and gentlemen,

we are going on to the National Spelling Bee in Toronto.

Can we ask you to come on up for boarding at this time?

Come on up here. Congratulations.

-[man] Yes! -[all] Whoo!

[applause]

[Makayla] I've never been on a plane before,

and I'm so scared.

But I still want to do it.

Oh, man, this feels weird.

[indistinct chatter]

Watch, we're going to be leaving the ground pretty soon.

[laughs]

[Valance] I might just be sick.

[indistinct chattering]

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!

[Valance] Here we go. Look out.

-I'm scared. -Yeah, we're going fast now.

[excited chatter]

[William II] That is awesome.

Look at how small that truck is down there.

[Chantelle] Oh, my God, we're in the clouds.

Look at that, girl. We're in the clouds.

[powwow drumbeat]

[man chanting]

[car horns honk]

[laughs] What?

East Toronto.

There you are.

Ajax-Pickering.

Family of Housing? There you are.

First Nation Provincial. Here you are.

WR3 Family of Schools.

-This? -There's no middle line there.

Right here. It's right here.

Oh, okay, there. Mom's got it.

[Chantelle] Just being there was so surreal

because this is a new thing for her and for us,

and we didn't know what to expect until we were there.

It just matters to me that she's making Onion Lake proud.

Like, representing her reservation

and actually being in Toronto for the first time.

-[Valance] Okay, are we ready? -Yeah.

[Valance] Okay, we're ready. Let's go.

[Alexander] At first I felt calm.

But when we were getting closer,

I started to feel nervous

of the other people at the spelling bee.

Just their height made me nervous

because they were taller than me.

A lot taller than me.

[William] It felt scary.

My tummy hurts,

and I feel it on my arms,

my legs, and my head.

Every body part starts shaking.

[Valance] She's just really nervous.

I've never seen her that nervous before.

I don't think I've ever been that nervous before either.

After hearing about some of the kids' backgrounds...

You know, they come from private schools

and they got these private tutors.

That intimidated her even more.

[Makayla] It felt scary.

All those people and all the cameras.

And I didn't want to mess up in front of those people.

[man] Hello, everyone.

Welcome to the National Spelling Bee of Canada championships.

Let's give them a big round of applause as they come in, okay?

[announcer 1] Representing First Nations Provincial, number 50:

William Kaysaywaysemat.

[announcer 2] Number 40: Makayla Cannepotato.

Number 60: Alexander Johansson.

[Julie] This year...

we are excited to invite the First Nations Provincial

Spelling Bee participants from Saskatchewan

to participate in their first ever

Spelling Bee of Canada championship spelling bee.

These students have come very far,

and we are proud of their accomplishments

and look forward to our further collaboration.

[woman] We will now begin the competition

using words from the championship study list.

We would like to now call

the first contestant to the microphone.

Your word is "announcer."

[boy 1] Can you please repeat the word?

[woman] Announcer.

A-N-N-O-U-N-C-E-R.

-Announcer. -[woman 2] Correct.

[girl 1] "Reliant." Am I pronouncing that correctly?

-[woman 3] Yes, you are. -[girl 1] Reliant.

R-E-L-I-A-N-T.

-Reliant. -Correct.

[woman] Your word is "regress."

[girl 2] Regress. R-E-G-R-E-S-S.

[woman 2] Correct.

[woman 4] Number 50, William.

[woman] Your word is "cagey."

Cagey.

C-A-G-E-Y.

-Cagey. -[woman 2] Correct.

[woman 4] Number 51, Akil.

Oh, I'm so nervous.

It was me. I was so nervous.

I looked around and I thought, if that were me at that age,

that would be a huge culture shock.

And I thought, well, how is he going to feel?

I want him to be accepted. And he was.

It didn't really affect him at all.

[man] Your word is "economics."

-Economics? -[man] Correct.

E-C-O...

N-O-M-I-C-S.

[woman] Correct.

[woman 2] 40, Makayla.

[man] Your word is a homophone.

"Choral."

Choral.

C-H-O-R-A-L.

-Choral. -[woman] Correct.

She's good.

[boy] Exodus.

E-X-O-D-U-S.

Exodus?

Knave. K-N-A-V-E.

-Antique? -[man] Antique.

Can you repronounce that, please?

-[woman] "Mischievous." -Mischievous?

[woman] Mischievous or mischievous, yes.

Mischievous.

M-I-S-C-H-I-E-V-O-U-S.

Mischievous.

-Correct. -[applause]

[woman] Your word is "quips."

-Quips? -[woman] Quips.

-Can you re-pronounce? -[woman] Quips.

Eutrophic.

May I please have the definition?

[man] Your word has three correct pronunciations.

Carillon, carillon, and carillon.

Carillon.

-[man] Your word is "alienate." -Alienate.

[boy] Can I please have a part of speech?

[man] Noun.

-Is it a proper noun? -[man] No, it's not.

Can you put the word in a sentence, please?

[girl] Morph.

M-O-R-P-H. Morph.

[woman 2] Correct.

[woman 3] Number 50, William.

[woman] Your word is "mortar."

Come on, my boy.

Mortar.

M-O-T-E-R.

Mortar.

Incorrect.

Oh...

[woman] Your word is "mortar."

[boy] Mortar.

M-O-R-T-A-R.

Mortar.

[woman 2] Correct.

[Cecelia] It hurts when you know

that your child is so hurt because they know

that they could have done better.

And I knew how disappointed he was.

I could see it all across his face.

He knew the word. He knew it.

He just did it too quickly.

[William II] When we had William,

I made a promise to him that I would be the best dad

that I could possibly be

and make sure he has a chance.

[Cecelia] It's okay. It's all good.

Oh...

You did so good.

[William II] As far as I'm concerned,

William winning

the First Nation Provincial Spelling Bee

and going to nationals,

he's already a winner in my book.

[Cecelia] Remember what we said.

You won to get here.

How many...

how many people can say that?

Stand up. Stand up.

Be proud. Be proud of yourself.

Be proud of your accomplishments.

Be proud of all the work you did to get here.

[man] Your word is a homophone.

"Ananda."

A word from Sanskrit meaning "perfect bliss."

Ananda. A-N-A-N-D-A.

-Ananda. -[woman] Correct.

[man] Your word is "entirety."

Entirety.

-Entirety? -[man] Entirety.

E-N-T-I-R-E-T-Y.

-Good job. -[woman] Correct.

[woman 2] 41, Emya.

[Valance] Getting to see my daughter on the podium

and being in that national spotlight,

that was the greatest.

Double fist pump.

It was fun to open up and brag: "That's my daughter!"

[woman] 60, Alexander.

[woman 2] Your word is "juxtaposition."

J-U-X-T-A...

P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N.

Juxtaposition.

[woman 3] Correct.

[Makayla] Ultramarine.

U-L-T-R-A-M-A-R-I-N-E.

[woman 3] Correct.

Decree. D-E-C-R-E-E.

Decree.

[woman 3] Correct.

[man] Your word is "unforgettable."

Unforgettable.

U-N-F-O-R...

G-E-T-T-A...

T-A...

No.

Can you repeat the word?

Once you start spelling,

you have to finish the word.

B-L-E.

[woman] Incorrect.

[Valance] It wasn't her fault that she didn't get it right.

She knew the word. I seen it right away.

As soon as she stepped down from the podium,

she already had tears in her eyes.

And I was just immediately thinking

how am I going to comfort her and what words to say.

[male announcer] Returning to the audience are,

from First Nation Provincial, number 40, Makayla Cannepotato.

[applause]

Confidence. Wipe your eyes, now.

Let's wipe your eyes now.

We did good, my girl. We did good, you know?

You did really good.

-[whimpering and sniffling] -Okay?

Yeah, a lot of these people are going to be future doctors

and stuff like that.

You're right there with them.

You knew you made a mistake,

but it was too late to correct it.

There's nothing wrong with making mistakes, right?

That's the only way we learn.

Okay, wipe your eyes.

You want to go to the bathroom and wash your face? Okay.

You did good, my girl. Okay?

Don't doubt yourself.

You did really, really awesome.

[Julie] Participants, we will now be switching

to the tiebreaker round.

Please note that during the tiebreaker rounds,

a new list of words is introduced.

These words are not listed in the championship study list.

-Good luck. -[man] Thank you, Julie.

[woman] Your word is "soutache."

Can you please repeat the word?

[woman] Soutache.

Can I have the definition, please?

[woman] "A narrow, flat ornamental braid

used to trim garments."

[boy] Can you use it in a sentence?

[woman] Her new jacket had soutache on the pockets

and around the collar and lapel.

Soutache.

S-U-T-A-S-H.

[woman 2] Incorrect.

-[boy] Is it a proper noun? -[woman] No, it is not.

Soutache.

S-U...

T-A-C-H-E?

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[woman 3] 60, Alexander.

[woman] Your word is "soutache."

Can you repeat the word, please?

[woman] Soutache.

S-O-O-T-A-S-H.

Soutache.

[woman 2] Incorrect.

[woman 3] 61, Daniel.

Soutache.

S-O-U...

T-A-C-H-E.

Soutache.

-Correct! -[applause]

He kicked out every one.

[Alexander] I didn't know how to spell the word

or never heard of the word.

I don't really think I'm a competitive kid,

but I do like winning.

I don't really like losing.

[man] From First Nation Provincial,

number 60, Alexander Johansson.

[applause]

[Alexander] I felt sad.

Really sad.

[announcer speaking indistinctly]

[Joanne] It's okay.

Don't feel bad, my son.

Look at all the ones that left.

-I know. -That's, like, 12.

-I know. -And that was a tough word.

-I know. -We didn't know--

We didn't study those words.

But you did really good.

-That's really good. -Can we go now?

[Joanne] Well, we have two more days here.

What do you want to do for fun?

[crowd cheering]

[excited chatter]

[Alexander] I had lots of fun there

because I got to get away from home

and the Blue Jays game was pretty awesome.

[William] I felt kind of happy

and kind of sad.

So I felt sappy.

Bautista. Come on, Bautista. Hit us home.

Hit it home.

-He's a good hitter. -He's a good hitter.

He's the power hitter.

Hit it!

[Makayla] It was the best time ever.

I was at a game, watching my favorite baseball team.

I will never forget it.

[all cheer]

[whistle]

Let's go, Bautista!

[Alexander] After seeing the big city, Toronto,

I thought that it was way too busy there.

Too many people.

And I'm not sure a lot of people like it there.

Watch your step.

Like, you would think a big city's really nice.

You could do a lot of things.

But too many things can happen.

And when you live out here,

you don't really have to worry lots.

[man] You know that fire burns upwards, right?

-Mm-hmm. -[man] And then all you do

is give it some air, and away she goes.

So how do we say "fire" in Cree?

-[all] Iskotew. -Good job. Iskotew.

[Alexander] I do want to try

the spelling bee again this year.

I want to get another crack at it

because...

who doesn't want to win a thousand dollars?

[Valance] She wants to travel more now, actually.

That's what she wants to do.

It really broadened her horizon.

It really opened up her eyes to the world.

Gave us a little bit more motivation to push them harder

because it shows that we're doing something good

as parents.

[laughing]

Look at how far she came.

[laughs]

[Cecelia] I think the whole experience

of the First Nations Spelling Bee

and the National Spelling Bee,

it helped him boost his confidence,

helped him see what he could do.

I mean, he was pretty outgoing to begin with,

but now he sees the potential that he has.

[William] 46 to 9.

47 to 9.

[William II] Having the First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee

demonstrates that First Nation people,

given the proper opportunity,

the proper resources,

can be equal to anyone else.

Sarah.

[laughs]

[William II] What we need to do

is to make sure education continues to be a priority

because we know that that's our future.

Oliver, head outside, okay? Head outside for your lunch.

Eden, go somewhere and eat.

[William II] We have to take it back

and become self-sufficient.

And to be able to give our children that opportunity

is all that we can ask for.

And I think that the chiefs that signed the treaties...

I think that's all they wanted for their people.

You know, once we achieve that, the sky's the limit.

[kids laugh]

[music playing]

* Which country's sandy beach Will my toes hit *

* If money were nonexistent? *

* How would everything Be different *

* If the world were free?

* Would there be no war Or pride? *

* Would everyone Feel safe at night? *

* No more violence, No more fights *

* If the world were free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* What if we couldn't Put a price on *

* The river we drain From the trees we survive from *

* If we saw the world For a collective hope *

* Not every man for himself, Would there still be hope? *

* Hope

* If it were free

* Free, free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* How would it Be different? *

* Let's make a change

* Diamond rings And fancy things *

* They're all so pretty

* But I believe There's more to see *

* If it gets With you and me *

* If it were free

* Free, free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* If it were free

* Free, free

* How would everything Be different *

* If the world were free?