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-"'Your tribe?
Come on, Freckles.

2
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You aren't really part
of a tribe,' one laughed."

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00:00:04,170 --> 00:00:06,373
-Storytime
at Lockwood Elementary

4
00:00:06,373 --> 00:00:10,110
brings characters off the page
into real life.

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00:00:10,110 --> 00:00:11,911
-"...said Freckles
with a cheeky grin."

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00:00:11,911 --> 00:00:14,781
-Today's tale, "Journey
of the Freckled Indian,"

7
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is about Freckles.

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It's based on author
Alyssa London's discovery

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00:00:18,485 --> 00:00:19,953
of her native heritage

10
00:00:19,953 --> 00:00:25,191
when she was sitting right here
as a student 25 years ago.

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-In my Tlingit language...

12
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[ Speaking Tlingit ]

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So, in Tlingit, I just said that
I'm from the Tlingit tribe,

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that I'm Eagle Killer Whale,

15
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and that my family is from
the village of Angoon, Alaska.

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"Angoon kwáan"
is how I said that.

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00:00:45,245 --> 00:00:48,114
-Like most children who grow up
in a multicultural home,

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London's life in Seattle
as a kid included Native events

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like tribal picnics
and powwows.

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-I didn't realize it was
something different

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until, really, the memory that
precedes the start of this book,

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which was sharing about Tlingit
culture with my parents

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during a show-and-tell

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where they showed a video of
"Raven and the Box of Daylight,"

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which is our creation story
for Tlingit and Haida people.

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And at recess then,

27
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like we say in the book,
the kids made fun of me.

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-Through the book, Freckles
becomes a relatable character

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for mixed-race children,

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reflecting the challenges London
faced on the playground.

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-"'Do you know your heritage?
Do you know all the cultures

32
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that your family members
come from?'

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Her classmates looked
at each other, confused.

34
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'Well, if you don't know
where you come from,

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it's hard to know
where you're going.'"

36
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-This theme in the book
is London's theme in life.

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She learned about where she
came from through family,

38
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spending time with her
Tlingit grandfather in Alaska

39
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to understand her roots.

40
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-There's a grandness to Alaska
that is hard to describe.

41
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-That summer trip
charted the course

42
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for her life's work --
to advocate the importance

43
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of honoring
multicultural identities.

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She's traveled to more
than 30 countries

45
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and earned a degree
in race and ethnicity

46
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from Stanford University.

47
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-Just in your own language,
tell that story,

48
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and then it'll be
a permanent record.

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-In 2018, she founded her media
company, Culture Story.

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London says there's more that
connects us than divides us

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in the mixed-race world
we live in.

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Through Culture Story,
she creates videos,

53
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workshops, and books
to showcase the beauty

54
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and vitality of indigenous
cultures all over the world.

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-It is one of my favorite things

56
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to talk to, really, anyone
about.

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I love to ask,
"What's your culture story?"

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And what I mean by that is,

59
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"Tell me
about the the core tenets

60
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or the themes that really define
your culture

61
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and therefore define parts
of how you live your life

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as a -- as a person who
identifies with that heritage."

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-London says the core tenants
are food, faith, family,

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fashion, and the arts,
which includes song and dance,

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one of her favorite ways
to teach kids about culture.

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-[ Chanting in Tlingit ]

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-Once the wiggles are out,

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it's a quick lesson
in linguistics.

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-So, it kind of sounds
like "cottage cheese,"

70
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but repeat after me.
"Gunalchéesh."

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-Gunalchéesh.

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-Oh, thank you! You did awesome!

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-It's these
cultural interactions

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she hopes will help childhood
be more inclusive.

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-From a young age, be interested

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in knowing
about their own culture

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and having a strong sense
of personal identity

78
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but then,
almost even more important,

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being open to people
from other cultures.

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You're German. Perfect.

81
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See? We're already getting
the thought patterns going

82
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on what we can talk about in our
classrooms later on, right?

83
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-After excited commentary
from kids

84
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about their Native identities,

85
00:03:42,989 --> 00:03:44,757
London leads them
through affirmations

86
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as a confidence booster...

87
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-I am proud!

88
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-...and hopes these phrases
instill personal pride

89
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of being multicultural,

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something she says can be
really tough growing up.

91
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-I mean, I struggled with
being a mixed-race Native girl,

92
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basically until
I went to Miss USA

93
00:04:02,175 --> 00:04:04,477
and had this moment
in front of millions of people

94
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with the Tlingit gown,

95
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where it was, like, a very
strong, definitive moment

96
00:04:08,448 --> 00:04:11,117
of "I am Tlingit,
Tlingit áyáxát."

97
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I got to say that
on national television.

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There are 229 different tribes.

99
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Tlingit áyáxát.
I am from the Tlingit tribe.

100
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That was profound for me

101
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because it -- it took
that big of a moment, honestly,

102
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to basically heal

103
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from having to explain
to so many people,

104
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even through college, like,
"Yes, I'm Native American.

105
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That's why I'm helping out
with Stanford Powwow,"

106
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for example, or --

107
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I didn't like
having to explain my --

108
00:04:37,577 --> 00:04:40,580
my connection to my culture
over and over again.

109
00:04:40,580 --> 00:04:42,982
-In 2017, London was
a top-10 finalist

110
00:04:42,982 --> 00:04:45,251
at Miss USA.
-That name is "Alaska."

111
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-Her evening-gown robe had her
clan crest, the killer whale,

112
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and was designed in the Tlingit
red tribal color.

113
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-It was the only time
in the pageant

114
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that I wasn't incredibly nervous

115
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because I was just really
proud and centered,

116
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and I just felt like

117
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I had my whole community
on stage with me.

118
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-Newspapers in Alaska proudly
put her on the front page,

119
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celebrating this achievement
for indigenous people.

120
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-That made people
emotional, too,

121
00:05:09,108 --> 00:05:11,577
because, I mean, the newspapers
in Southeast Alaska

122
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are written in English.

123
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It hadn't been
a Tlingit headline.

124
00:05:14,747 --> 00:05:16,783
-London's national
pageant platform

125
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was to showcase the vitality
of indigenous cultures

126
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and mixed-race heritage.

127
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-When I was Miss Alaska,

128
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I got to go to, like,
some hospitals

129
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and I got to go
do school visits,

130
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and, at that time, you know,
kids would listen to, like,

131
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whatever I wanted to --
had to -- say

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'cause I had a crown
on my head.

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It was fun times. [ Chuckles ]

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But I didn't have my own book.

135
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I was reading other books that I
either found in the classroom

136
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or I started to bring
some along with me,

137
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but I didn't find a story
that helped land my message.

138
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-Now with her own book
to spread her message,

139
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whether she's wearing
a crown or native regalia,

140
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just like Freckles says...

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-"Tlingit áyáxát.
That means I am Tlingit,

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and no one can take
that away from me."

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-...she hopes through her story,
Freckles inspires these kids

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00:06:04,330 --> 00:06:06,866
to proudly display
their culture story

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00:06:06,866 --> 00:06:08,801
on the pages of life
they write,

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no matter where the journey
takes them after school.

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Alyssa recently hosted a special