04x13 - Qyah Counts/You've Gotta Have a Good Mind

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

[laughing]: Whooo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore ♪

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors

♪ On adventures day and night

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ Through fields of fireweed ♪

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ From tundra to the sea

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali

Yeah!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

♪ Come on ♪ Let's go! ♪

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

MOLLY: "Qyah Counts."

[laptop camera chirps]

Hello from way up north in Alaska!

It's a really exciting week here, because...

[all laugh]

...Representative Anna Jones is coming to visit Qyah.

She represents all of Alaska

in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C.

And she's Yup'ik, like me!

We asked Auntie Midge what representatives do,

and she said it's like what they do on the Tribal Council.

They work together to make decisions that help people.

Only instead of helping one small community like Qyah,

people in Congress vote on things

to help the whole country.

So now we're trying to figure out what we should do

to honor Representative Jones when she visits Qyah.

Whatever it is, it has to be epic.

Be back after we've done some brainstorming.

Maybe the thing we make

to honor Representative Jones

should be something to remind her

of all of us back here in Alaska.

Yeah!

So she can think of us

while she's making her votes.

I think we should make a beaded necklace,

because the way the beads are strung together in a circle,

it's like the way a community comes together

and supports each other.

A necklace might remind her to vote

for things that support us.

What about you,Tooey?

I think we should make a giant papier-mâché salmon

so big a bunch of people could fit inside it.

Okay-- why?

Because we all depend on the salmon so much.

A giant salmon might remind Representative Jones

to vote for things that will protect the salmon

and protect us.

Mm-hmm.Yeah.

Molly, what do you think we should do

to honor Representative Jones?

Well, it's not as pretty as a beaded necklace,

or as cool as a giant salmon,

but I think we should give her

some of Auntie Midge's -year-old sourdough starter.

Oh, yummy!Yum.

MOLLY: Whenever she's reading an idea for a new law

and trying to decide what to do,

a slice of sourdough bread might give her the energy

to keep working hard for us.

Wow.

These are three really great ideas.

How can we pick just one?

[gasps]

We don't have to.

We can let the community decide!

How?

By having people vote on it.

You mean have an election?

I don't know anything about how to do that.

Me, neither, but we can find out.

Okay, according to this website,

all we need are ballots,

a ballot box, and a voting booth.

[gasps]: Mr. Patak can help us build one.

Great idea, Tooey.

We've only got two weeks

before Representative Jones arrives.

That doesn't give us a lot of time

to campaign for our ideas.

Campaign?

Yeah!

That's when you go around and talk to people

and tell them why they should vote for you

or your idea.

Oh, gotcha.

And I know just the person to help us get the word out.

[switch clicks]

So, mark your calendars

for this Friday from : to : p.m.

at the Tribal Hall,

and vote on your favorite way

to honor Alaska's own representative, Anna Jones.

You kids want to tell everyone

about the great ideas that are in the running?

We sure do.

You can cast your vote for

-year-old sourdough starter.

Ooh, that's good eatin'-- mmm.

Or something more eye-catching,

like a beaded necklace!

Ooh, that would bepretty.

Or something really important to us--

a giant papier-mâché salmon.

Oh, we sure lovesalmon.

AUNTIE MIDGE: All ages are welcome to vote,

so mark your calendars.

We hope to see you there.

♪ ♪

[switch clicks]

Well, time to hit the campaign trail.

A vote for sourdough starter

is a vote for a gift that keeps giving.

When you vote for a beaded necklace,

you're voting for our crafts and traditions.

It'll be a really big papier-mâché salmon.

Huge!

And there's no age limit,

so you can vote, too, Jay.

Cool-- I've always wanted to vote.

Me, too.

I've been old enough to vote for a while,

but I never vote.

What?!

Why not?

What difference does it make?

♪ ♪

My own brother says

he isn't going to vote in the election.

Maybe he'll change his mind?

Yeah.

Once he sees everyone else voting,

he might want to do it, too.

[door opens and closes]

Hi, kids-- we're here to help manage the polls.

Great!

Mr. Patak helped us make this voting booth.

[whining]

[barks, pants]

[giggles]

You can vote with me, Suki.

These are the ballotswe made.

The pictures show the different options of what to vote for.

Even little kids will be able to understand this.

And this is our ballot box.

Auntie Midge, as you count the votes,

please color in one box for each vote on this graph.

You got it.

Oh, and Dad,

will you give everyone

their "I Voted" sticker afterwards?

Sure.

Hey!

These are in our Alaska Native languages.

"K'e'ooze Neenslo."

"Cucuklillrunga."

Aren't they awesome?

[chuckling]: Mm-hmm.

Okay, time to open the doors.

Come on, giant salmon.

♪ ♪

Mahsi'choo,Connie.

Oh, thanks, Mr. Rowley.

♪ ♪

It's :.

The polls are only open for another minutes.

We may not need it.

According to my count,

everyone has voted except one person.

Who?Who?

I bet I can guess.

My brother John.

What? How come?

He says he never votes

because it doesn't make any difference.

Hold my ballot box.

We need to go have a chat with somebody.

♪ ♪

[door opens]

You probably don't know this,

but we haven't always had the right to vote.

What do you mean?

People have been voting since America was born.

Some people have been.

But people like us-- Alaska Native people--

Black people, Asian people,

and women had to fight for the right to vote.

But a long time ago, right?

Not that long ago.

In .

And it wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of

that they started printing ballots in our languages.

Before that, if you spoke Yup'ik or Gwich'in

and not English, you couldn't vote.

[exhales]

I still remember voting with my first Gwich'in ballot.

It made me feel so proud.

So when you vote, you're respecting

all the hard work our ancestors put in

to make sure we, too, had rights.

You know, for a long time,

there were people who didn't want

Alaska Native people to have a say

in how this countrywas run,

but we do have the right to vote,

and we can use it to make a difference.

♪ ♪

Are the polls still open?

It's :.

If you hurry, you can make it.

That's everyone.

And the polls are closed.

Let's count those votes.

♪ ♪

MOLLY: Oh, wow!

It's a tie!

Not for long.

There's one vote left.

Who won?

So we voted on it,and...

...the giant papier-mâché salmon won.

JONES [laughs]: Wow!

I love that you organized your own election.

It shows me just how much people in Qyah

care about what happens here.

Tooey?

Don't you want to brag even a little

about how your idea won?

Uh-uh.

The thing I'm most proud of

is that we got my brother to vote

for the first time ever!

That's wonderful!

Mm-hmm, we sure did.

I wish we were old enough to vote in a real election.

It's a really special feeling, ah?

And who knows?

Maybe one day,

I'll see your names on the ballots.

[gasps] Whoa!

[Jones and Molly laugh]Yeah. [laughs]

Hey, everyone, Molly here to answer your questions

about life in Alaska.

Manny from Spokane, Washington, asks,

"What's the Nenana Ice Classic like?"

Let's find out.

BOTH: Hi, Molly!

I'm Chance.I'm Kysen.

We live in Nenana, Alaska.

CHANCE: We live on Tanana land, and Tanana people

have lived here for many years, and still live here today.

One of our favorite parts about living in Nenana

is the Nenana Ice Classic.

There's the tripod!

On the Tanana River.

It usually falls in late April or early May.

CHANCE: We have a lot of fun setting it up.

KYSEN: Yeah, we do!

The tripod is usually put up...

CHANCE: ...on the first weekend of March.

KYSEN: The tripod is black and white,

but has a red flag on the top.

CHANCE: There's a string at the top

that connects all the way to the clock.

KYSEN: When the ice breaks, the tripod falls.

BOTH: The string gets pulled

and the clock stops.

CHANCE: This has been happening since .

KYSEN: Whoa! That's a long time!

CHANCE: People all around Alaska

makes their guesses when the tripod is gonna fall.

I think the tripod will go out May .

I'm guessing May , ,

at : p.m., because that time of year, it usually warms up.

♪ ♪

This year, the tripod floated away on a big chunk of ice.

KYSEN: The clock stopped on April at : p.m.

Wow, my guess was really close!

As you can see, the tripod is gone.

KYSEN: The river is officially broken up.

CHANCE: And next year, we're gonna do it all over again.

BOTH: Bye, Molly!

Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking and see you next time!

MOLLY: "You've Gotta Have a Good Mind."

[panting]

[whines]

[laughs]

[whining]

[panting]

[whines]

Oh!

[laughing]: Sorry, Suki.

[whines]

Tsook'aal Helen and Uncle Setoyaa

probably like sheets without fur.

[Suki panting]

Blankets.

Fresh from the dryer.

Thanks.

[yawns]

I was so excited about Tsook'aal Helen

and Uncle Setoyaa coming,

I couldn't sleep last night.

I'm excited, too.

I'm surprised you remember your dad's mom and brother.

You were so little the last time they visited.

How could I forget Uncle Setoyaa?

He operated on my stuffed puffin.

Okay, nurse, I think the patient

is ready for her heart transplant.

Scalpel.

[squeaks]

[laughing]: Oh, no.

The patient is awake.

[giggles]

There, there, patient, go back to sleep.

[both laugh]

[laughing]: That was so fun.

I remember.

Setoyaa had been cast in a movie about a doctor.

Do you remember anything about your dad's mom,

Tsook'aal Helen?

Hm...

I remember she smelled so good.

And she would hug me and say...

[slowly]: "Sedzaay yel nugh..."

Na...? Nugh?

[sighs]: I can't remember the last of it.

Estsen'.

Sedzaay yel nugh estsen'.

It means "I love you with all my heart."[vehicle approaching]

[doors opening and closing]

[gasps]

They're here! They're here!

Oh, Molly. [chuckles]

Sedzaay yel nugh estsen'.

[sighs]

I love you with all my heart, too, Tsook'aal Helen.

How's our patient doing?

She's fully recovered.

[laughs]

[sighs]: I'm so glad you could come

to the special gathering.

WALTER [struggling]: Don't worry about me.

I can get all the luggage. [chuckles]

[laughs]

I'd help, but I've got this sack of potatoes.

[chortles]: Molly, you've gotten big.

Big and strong! [laughs]

We've still got a few things to do

to get ready for the gathering.

WALTER: Hope you don't mind

if we put you to work.

Fishing isn't work.

Ooh! I'll get my lucky fishing hat.

LAYLA: Molly...

I thought you'd stay here and help us.

Tsook'aal Helen would really love to spend time with you.

Uh...

Sure.

I bet whatever we do here will be just as much fun.

Oh, what's this?

A pressure cooker.

Steam builds up inside the pot,

creating pressure, so things cook faster.

Hm.

What does this do?

Well, Shahnyaa,

what do you thinkit does?

Um...

It looks like a gauge of some sort.

Do these numbers

tell you how much pressure is in the pot?

Yes, Shahnyaa.

That's exactly what they do.

We put the salmon you helped me jar this morning

into the pressure cooker.

And we'll cook it for about an hour and a half.

Your job is to watch the needle on the gauge

and make sure it stays

between ten and , right here.

Any higher than that,

and the salmon will overcook.

And any lower than that,

and the salmon won't be safe to eat.

[knob clicks]Oh.

That's it?

That's it.

I'm heading to the Tribal Hall to help with decorations.

[panting]

But I'll be sitting on the couch,

finishing up this slipper.

The gauge is at .

That's perfect.

♪ ♪

[yawns]

[sighs]: I know.

It's kinda boring.

I wonder if Dad and Uncle Setoyaa

have caught any fish yet.

[chuckles]: Those two are so charming,

I bet the fish are leaping into the boat

to give themselves to them.

[giggles]: That's

a funny thought.

[giggles]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[laughing]: Whoa!

Huh?

Whoa!

♪ ♪

Uh, if we get any more fish, we'll sink.

♪ ♪

Maybe Mr. Patak can help.

Mr. Patak!

[whistles]

[cooker whistling]

TSOOK'AAL HELEN: Molly!

Molly, the gauge!

Huh? Oh!

[whistling]

Sorry.[knob clicks]

Did it get too high?

Yes!

Didn't you hear it whistling?

I guess I started imagining all those fish

jumping in Dad's boat and kind of got distracted.

[chuckles]: Fishing would be a lot more fun

than watching a wheezy old pressure cooker.

I promise, I'll pay more attention from now on.

[panting]

[gasps][phone ringing]

[button beeps]Hello!

Hey there, Mollydoodle.

Your dad and I are heading back.

Do we need anything else besides fish?

It's Uncle Setoyaa.

He wants to know if we need anything else.

[calling]: Fresh flowers are always nice.

Heard that, and we're on it.

Later, gator.

[giggles]: After a while, crocodile.

[phone chirps]

[sighs]

What?

Oh.

Just thinking about Uncle Setoyaa picking flowers,

and how he makes everything an adventure.

[laughs]

That's true.

He'll probably pretend he's in a jungle

or walking on the moon, or...

I don't know, boarding on grass.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Molly?

Molly?

The gauge was down to eight!

How long has it been that low?

Uh...

I don't know?

I kind of got distracted again.

Koyh',we are making this salmon as gifts for others.

It's important to have a good mind

and pay attention to all the things we do,

but especially when we're making a gift.

And do you know why?

Because if I don't,

the salmon will get overcooked?

[laughs]: Well, yes.

But also because we believe

whatever energy we put into something

is what others will get out of it.

So...

If I feel bored while I'm making salmon for others,

then when they eat that salmon,

they'll feel bored, too?

Mmm, something like that.

[chuckles]

That would be awful.

♪ ♪

I can't wait to taste this jarred salmon you made.

[all sighing]

[yawns]

Whoa!

That really would be awful.

I am not taking my eyes off this gauge.

But I want to be sure to have a good mind.

What's something I can think about

while I'm watching it?

I always think, "Sedzaay yel nugh estsen'."

Sedzaay yel nugh estsen'.

I love you with all my heart.

♪ ♪

[knob clicks]

[whistling]

[knob clicks, whistling fades]

[steam rattling]

[hissing]

[hissing]

♪ ♪

I gave each jar a special label,

so each person would know I'm thinking of them.

For Mom, I drew an airplane.

And for Uncle Setoyaa,

because he's an actor, I drew a comedy-tragedy mask.

Oh, beautiful, koyh'.

I made these

specially for you.

See?

Your jar has a canoe on it.

And Shchada'a,

yours has a volcano.

SETOYAA: Mm, mm!

You're in for a treat.

You ate some already!

You're not feeling bored or sleepy, are you?

Uh, not a bit.

But I am feeling like I need to give someone a hug.

♪ ♪

Sedzaay yel nugh estsen'.

I love you with all my heart.

♪ ♪