01x12 - New Nivagi/Crane Song

[bunniefuu]

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

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

(laughing): Whoo!

♪ 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 (voiceover): "New Nivagi."

♪ ♪

MOLLY: Okay, Grandpa,

here's your binoculars, notebook,

and emergency bag of dry fish.

(inquisitive grunts)

Ha, I don't think I need all that for just a few days, Molly.

You're studying a volcano in the Aleutian Islands.

You're gonna need snacks.

How about I take one piece of dry fish for the trip,

and another for my belly.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

(barks)

And now, I have another favor to ask.

You know the annual Qyah ice cream competition?

Of course.

You've won five years straight.

You're an ice cream legend.

The problem is I can't enter this year.

I'll be away.

Unless...

would you enter for me?

Yes, of course, a thousand percent!

Whoo! (howls)

I knew I could count on you.

Follow me.

The contest is tomorrow, Molly.

You'll want to get started early.

These are the ingredients.

And here is my top secret recipe.

Don't worry, I won't let you down.

(yelps, thuds on ground)

Starting now. (laughs)

Welcome to The Athabascan Chef.

Today I am making Grandpa Nat's nivagi,

an Alaskan Native ice cream.

It's different than other kinds of ice cream.

There's no ice and no cream, but there is moose.

Ingredients:

two cups moose fat, one cup dried moose meat,

one cup wild strawberries,

and half a cup mashed wild carrot.

Step one, whip fat until fluffy.

When I'm done whipping, it'll look like cake frosting.

(humming)

Uh, keep whipping, nearly there.

Almost.

Oh.

Whoo!

That's what it looks like when you're done.

What do you think, Suki? (sniffs, pants)

Let's see.

Step two,

mix in dried moose meat.

Step three, fold in wild strawberries.

Step four, add mashed wild carrots to taste.

Mmm, not quite like Grandpa's.

Not bad.

TOOEY: Molly, where are you?

Upstairs, Tooey!

(sniffing)

Hey! Wanna play some basketball?

Can't. I'm making Grandpa's nivagi.

Really?

Yeah. He's not here,

so I get to make it for the competition.

(Suki barks, bowl clatters) Suki!

No!

You ate it all?

Bad dog.

(panting)

What am I going to do, Tooey?

The competition is tonight.

We'll make it again.

Do you have the recipe?

(gasping): Suki!

Aw.

Grandpa should never

have counted on me.

Just write it down again, before you forget.

Good idea.

And will you help me find more ingredients?

Yeah, as long as I get to taste the nivagi.

Deal.

Grandpa Nat's nivagi.

The moose fat was the first ingredient.

How much?

I'm pretty sure it was two cups.

Next comes the meat.

And-- oh yeah, one cup of wild strawberries,

and half a cup of wild carrot.

Ta-da!

Do you remember the directions?

Mm-hmm.

Better write that down, too.

Done!

So, moose fat and meat.

(gasps) I know who has those.

Mr. Rowley!

But he lives across the river.

How will we get there?

Good moose fat is hard to come by.

So offer a fair trade.

Mr. Rowley likes to barter.

He needs a barber?

To cut his hair?

(laughs) No, he likes to barter.

You know, trade one thing for another.

Though he probably could use a barber.

(giggling)

MOLLY: Okay,

if you don't want us to clear away the brush...

TOOEY (clearing throat): Psst!

...what if Tooey and I

hammered something?

Oh, chopped!

What if we chopped wood in exchange for moose?

Ah, just chopped a big pile yesterday.

Wash your four-wheeler?

Nah, it's just the way I like it.

(sighs)

There is a job I could use help with.

Pretty messy, though.

Been meaning to clean my glass figurines.

Clean 'em so they sparkle.

We could definitely do that.

Well, you can start here.

Wait.

All of them?

Elbow grease for moose grease.

Come on, I'll give you a hand.

♪ ♪

(squeaking)

(figurines shimmering)

MR. ROWLEY: Whoo!

You earned yourself some moose.

Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Rowley.

TOOEY: What's next?

Wild strawberries.

There's a patch right up the river,

though it's pretty late in the year for strawberries.

MOLLY: It's definitely late

for strawberries.

Can you use something else?

Those berries, maybe?

MOLLY: Those are just...

oh wait, they're lingonberries.

Mmm, nice and ripe.

It could work, and it's better than nothing.

Basee', berries.

Carrots are next.

Grandpa always says to find wild carrots,

you first have to find...

weasels.

(weasel chattering)

(sniffing)

Because?

Because they eat wild carrots.

So, if we want to find carrots...

(chattering, sniffing)

Follow that weasel.

♪ ♪

Huh?

(weasel chattering)

We're not playing, weasel.

We need your help.

Where'd he even go?

(chattering)

(gasps) I think those are carrots.

Definitely wild carrots.

Wahoo!

Gotta do this fast, Molly.

The competition starts in an hour.

I know, I know. But first--

(Suki groans)

You stay here until we're done cooking, Suki.

(barks)

♪ ♪

Next, change the recipe to lingonberries.

(pencil scratching)

Now the fun part.

We whip.

(sighing)

You really need an electric whipper thingy.

Okay, last step is add mashed wild carrot to taste.

Bleh, too sour.

Lingonberries aren't as sweet as strawberries.

You sure you don't have any strawberries in your fridge?

I'll go check.

(gasps) My emergency blueberry stash!

They're sweet.

One cup blueberries.

What do you think?

Not exactly like Grandpa's.

But it's good.

Really good.

MOLLY: And one cup blueberries.

There, done.

Let's go.

Is she smiling?

Does she like it?

I can't tell.

(groans)

I never knew ice cream could be so worrying.

Huh.

After so many years

of awarding first prize to Grandpa Nat,

I thought this year

we had a new winner.

But, no, the winning nivagi is once again Grandpa Nat's.

How does he do it?

(cheering)

Yes! We did it! You did it!

Molly, can you accept this award on Nat's behalf?

Yes!

It's a birch bark basket,

just like traditional nivagi was made in.

Wow.

Mahsi'choo, Auntie Midge.

I can't wait to show Grandpa.

Congratulations, Grandpa.

You won again.

Oh, very nice.

But I want to taste this new nivagi you made.

I saved you some.

There was a little, um, accident with the first batch,

so I had to make some changes.

Mmm.

I can tell.

It's not like my usual nivagi.

(disappointed): Oh.

It's better!

What'd you put in here?

I made a copy of the recipe.

Mmm.

Blueberries and lingonberries.

Nice.

But I think you left out the most important change.

This is now

Molly and Grandpa Nat's nivagi.

And...

you must keep the prize. (gasps)

You were the one who earned it.

Hai', Grandpa.

(Suki groaning, bowl clattering)

(laughter)

Hey everyone, Molly here

to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Maricela from Pennsylvania asks,

"Are there different kinds of Alaskan Native ice cream?"

Yep. Let's see.

ALL: Hi, Molly.

This is Marge and she taught us

how to make nivagi.

In Inupiat, it's called

akutaq.

ALLYSSA: We are writing our own recipe,

so we can make the dish again

when Marge isn't here to show us.

So I have to write the directions very clearly.

There are two parts for recipes:

the list of ingredients

and the list of directions.

We learned that the first step

is to cut up fat in little pieces.

MARGE: This is

moose fat.

ALLYSSA: It gets really, really cold in Alaska,

like below zero.

The fat gives us energy to warm our bodies

when it's cold out.

Step two,

mash the fat.

And three, whip the fat.

Usually the way we learned, have learned

is by watching.

Do you want to try this?

Yeah. Okay.

I'll hold the bowl.

This is a lot of hard work.

What's next?

After the fat is whipped

to being smooth,

then we add the berries.

Fourth step,

mix berries with fat.

I want to put in

some raspberries and blueberries.

Eight... and ten.

Mixing it.

MARGE: Good job.

ALLYSSA: This looks good.

My recipe is moose fat, two tablespoons;

frozen raspberries, one half handful;

ten blueberries, and enjoy.

It's good.

Marge is a great teacher.

Mmm.

Mahsi'choo.

Thanks for asking, and see you next time.

MOLLY (voiceover): "Crane Song."

♪ ♪

Hey Dad, I think these carrots are twice as big today.

It's possible with all this sunshine.

You know, they say carrots are good for your eyes.

Huh? Really?

You ever see a bunny wearing glasses?

(groaning): Dad.

(both laugh)

NINA: Say "veggies."

(camera flashing)

Hi there! Nina!

Are you heading out on a sh**t?

Yes, and I need a favor from both of you.

I'm going on a two-day assignment

to photograph colts.

Really?

I love baby horses.

Not that kind of colt.

Colts are also what we call baby cranes.

(gasps): Baby cranes?

Those are the cutest colts ever!

(chuckling): They are.

My friend Dr. Antigone's studying sandhill cranes.

Sounds interesting. How can we help?

Her assistant's out sick,

so she needs someone to help band the birds,

and a wilderness guide to locate the nesting grounds.

I'd love to help band birds.

You up for being a wilderness guide, Moll?

Dad, I think Nina meant the other way around.

Oh!

Then my answer is definitely yes.

Count me in.

Count me in, too.

DAD: Life jackets? Check.

Paddles?

Check.

Marshmallows?

Yum.

I mean, check.

We're just about ready.

I'll be right back with the last load.

♪ ♪

(gasps)

(crane calling)

Ah!

NINA: (laughs)

It's just me.

You look like an astronaut.

Are we banding cranes on the moon?

I'm supposed to look like a crane.

That way we don't scare them away.

DR. ANTIGONE: The outfits help us get close enough

to capture the colts.

You must be Molly.

I'm Dr. Antigone Howell.

Hi, Dr. Antigone.

If you're going to help band cranes,

you'll need one of these.

(gasps) I get to be an astronaut, too?

Ana'basee!

Thank you.

You're welcome.

These will be your tools, Molly.

Bands and banding pliers.

I'll need you to quickly hand me things once I capture a colt.

Got it?

Uh-huh, got it.

Then suit up.

NINA: (making crane noises)

(laughter)

♪ ♪

DR. ANTIGONE: Remember,

once we get close enough,

we'll need to be quiet

so we don't spook the cranes.

(cranes calling)

Nah'in. Look!

(cranes calling)

♪ ♪

DAD: This is as close

as we can get by canoe.

(calling)

(thudding splash)

(whispering): What was that?

(whispering): I don't see anything.

(cranes calling)

They're back.

Let's go.

(loud splash) (gasps)

(splashing)

(camera beeps, shutter clicks)

Shoo, beaver.

Shoo, shoo!

We must be too close to its lodge.

It's trying to scare us away.

Huh.

We're not going to be able to get close enough to the cranes

with all the beaver ruckus.

What do we do now?

In my experience,

there's one thing all animals respond to.

Food!

Perfect.

I'll get the marshmallows.

(laughing) We might have better luck with birch saplings.

Beavers love that.

Hop in.

Look, Dad, you were right.

There's the beaver lodge. Yeah.

Let's put these saplings over by its home.

That should keep ts'ee, beaver, out of our way.

And now, we wait.

(camera beeps, shutter clicks)

DR: ANTIGONE: Well, that worked well.

Thanks, Walter.

You're welcome.

Now let's go band some baby cranes.

(whispering): Here it comes.

DR ANTIGONE: Bag, please.

(chirping)

(sneezes) (crane chirps)

I can still catch it!

Whoa!

(splashes)

I think I just broke a few rules

in the "how to catch a baby crane" manual.

(sighs) If only there was a manual.

There isn't?

No.

But apparently I could write a book

on how to catch the common cold, no problem.

(sneezes)

Gesundheit. Gesundheit.

Thank you.

No worries, doctor.

Let's all call it a day and get some rest.

♪ ♪

MOLLY: If pesky beavers get in the way,

it's good to know they love tree saplings.

All you have to do is...

(coughs)

Well, you certainly are busy

with your journal, Molly.

I'm trying to write down everything

about our day banding cranes, or trying to band cranes.

I'm sure we'll band a few, if those cranes--

(coughs) and my cold cooperate.

What exactly do the bands do?

Each band has its own number,

so we can track the birds' migrational pattern.

What's that?

That's where birds fly during different seasons of the year.

See, the cranes have their babies here in Alaska.

Then they fly all the way down

to their wintering grounds in Texas and Mexico.

Texas?

That's where my friend Trini's from.

That's really far away.

(sighs) If we don't band any cranes,

we won't know if they made it to Texas.

Oh, don't worry, Molly.

We'll try again in the morning.

(coughs)

Ah, this firewood should do it.

You okay?

Yeah, I'm just worried

we're not going to catch any jyah, cranes.

Hey, you know what helps me when I'm worried?

Roasting marshmallows!

(gasps)

You're right.

Thank you, Nina.

(gasps)

(blows)

(laughter)

GRANDPA (on phone): Molly!

I thought you were out banding baby cranes.

Trying to.

It is not easy.

That's why I'm calling, Shchada'a.

I thought you might have some ideas.

Well, have you tried talking to them in their language?

Huh?

As a kid, we used to call all sorts of birds to us

by singing their songs, and dancing their dance.

(laughing): Now that I've gotta see.

Spread your wings wide, like this.

Wow!

Thought you could use some of this:

wild Labrador tea.

It's good for whatever ails you, especially colds.

Oh, thank you, Walter.

Well, time for bed.

Yep.

Got to get up early if we want to catch those cranes.

I think we'll have better luck tomorrow.

That's the right attitude.

You coming, Molly?

Yup, I'll be in soon, Dad.

Just want to write down some things.

Good night, sleep tight. See you soon.

Remember to bring two important things:

marshmallows and Labrador tea.

Astronaut suits, check.

Beaver's fed?

Check.

Banding supplies, check.

Dr. Antigone's cold?

Much better, thank you.

That wild Labrador tea did wonders.

Check!

Instructions on how to dance the crane dance?

Excuse me? Huh?

I talked to Shchada'a last night.

He taught me how to do a crane song and dance

that might help us.

And now I'm going to teach you.

Okay.

Just follow me.

MOLLY: (making crane noises)

(crane noises)

ALL: (make crane noises)

(laughing)

MOLLY/NINA/DR.ANTIGONE: (making crane noises)

(cranes responding)

Look!

It's working!

(whispering): Molly, bag please.

Band, please.

Banding pliers, please.

Neneekhwa'aylaa gwintsal jyah!

See you again, little crane!

And say hello to Texas!

Dr. Antigone?

Hello, Molly.

Hello, Walter.

I made something for you.

DR. ANTIGONE: Oh, How to Band Baby Cranes,

by Molly Mabray.

"Part One: What You Need."

"Part Two: Steps to Banding a Colt.

"Part Three: What to Do If You Run into Trouble."

Molly, this is really helpful.

You listed all the materials, including... (chuckles)

marshmallows and Labrador tea.

(gasps) You even have tips on what to do

if there are rascally beavers nearby.

Ana'basee. Thank you.

You're welcome.

And Nina?

Thanks for inviting me.

Thank you.

I've learned so much on this trip.

We would never have been able to band those cranes

without your family's traditional knowledge.

Plus, I got to spend time

with my favorite Molly of Denali.

(sneezes)

Uh, Walter?

Do you have any more of that Labrador tea?

(laughter)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪