01x11 - Thrilling Tokata

[bunniefuu]

[woman narrating]
At Marvel, our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some of
our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories
of kids doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,
and changing the world.

These are the kids
who will inspire our stories

for years to come.

You are the future and we need your voice!

I want kids to know it's possible
to create change wherever they are.

[woman] She saw her voice
bring millions into a movement.

[narrator] Tokata is already a hero.

Now, we bring her story to the world

with the surprise of a lifetime:

making her into a Marvel superhero,

immortalized in her very own comic,

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

Who have accomplished the amazing...

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

[woman 2] Tokata. She has so much passion
for what she does.

We can create a really special story
with her.

What I love most about the Hero Project

is that it's all about activating
the next generation

and their own individual voices.

And Tokata, who is a young girl

from Pine Ridge Reservation
in South Dakota,

is actually doing that.
She's doing exactly that.

She's all about the power of your voice,

and she has been speaking up

and encouraging other people to speak up

about the importance of preserving
their cultural identity, um,

about protecting their land
and their water.

I'm really inspired by what she does

because it's a reminder that
there are stories all around us.

And the fact that she is smart enough,

and Tokata is wise enough,
to record these stories

and bring them to a new generation.

It is sort of like
Black Panther to me as well,

just because you do have that legacy,

you do have this understanding
that you have a connection

to the land around you

and also the concept of her using
the media and technology

to be able to push her ideas forward.

Thor is kind of similar in that
he has this huge tapestry of stories

that he has grown up with his entire life.

He has access to Mjölnir,
but only when he's finally worthy,

by understanding what
all the lessons of the stories are.

He's also willing to give Mjölnir
to whoever else is worthy.

[Wacker] That's cool.

And Tokata shares her
storytelling knowledge with other people

so they can do the same thing.

A big part of Tokata's story
is her ability to go into action

and through the power of media,
use her voice

and pull her community together

in a way that takes that heritage
and turns it into action.

I keep thinking of Nico from the Runaways

and her power is magic
but it's not about potions or elixirs.

It is the power of words
that is going to create some magic

and I feel like that's exactly Tokata.

For what we do
and the stories that we tell,

that is probably the most important

and most meaningful type of power to have.

Being a storyteller
and championing other people's stories.

-[drum beating]
-[man chanting]

[crowd cheering]

[in Lakota]

[in English] Hi everybody, um,
my name is Tokata Iron Eyes.

Um, I'm 15 years old
and I'm from Standing Rock.

-And we are the future.
-[crowd cheering]

And for any indigenous kids
out here today,

I just want to tell you,

you are the future and we need your voice.

We need you to speak up,

because you have a story to tell
and people are listening.

[chanting]

I really want other kids to know
why their voices are so important.

It's possible to be able to create change
wherever they are,

but living on a reservation,
it's a lot harder to do that

because you literally don't have much.

[member trilling]

I go and I travel
to all these brilliant places

and I get to learn
all of these new things.

It just seems like everything is possible
and really beautiful.

And then I have to come back home.

It's really hard, because
things could be this beautiful here.

It's hard not to get discouraged,

but I think we're starting to see
the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Tokata singing in Lakota]

[man] Tokata is true to the universe
so she's true to herself.

She's a seeker.
She's brave. She's a risk-taker.

There's a power compelling her
to do the things that she does.

And she carries us along for the journey.

Storytelling is a huge part
of indigenous communities.

Growing up, most of the lessons you learn
involve some sort of storytelling.

But living on the reservation
when I was younger,

it was a lot harder to find pride
in who I was

when I was seeing a version of my people

that was different from
what the stories had been showing me.

[singing in Lakota]

My parents always made sure that I knew
how beautiful it was to be indigenous

and what it meant to be indigenous.

To live in peace
and to live well with the land

and the water and the animals.

It was really important.

When I learned about
the Dakota Access Pipeline,

I realized I needed to do something.

If the pipeline were to leak,

it could be a threat
to our school water system

and the water in our community.

I want to be able to feel safe here.

You just have an obligation
to those things,

like you have a sense of obligation
to protect your family.

My name is Tokata Iron Eyes.

I am 12 years old.
I live in Fort Yates, North Dakota.

As Native Americans,

we do have a very close connection
with Mother Earth

because she's the one that provides for us
and nurtures us.

The Rezpect Our Water Campaign
was the very first campaign

to spread awareness about
what was happening in Standing Rock.

Respect our water, respect our land
and respect our people.

Join us and sign our petition.

Media and film is like an emotion machine.

You can really evoke something
to make you care.

That's when people
just started pouring in.

[shouting]

[vehicles honking]

She saw the power of it
while she was out there.

She saw how her voice could bring millions
into a movement

to help support something.

[Tokata] My dad taught me
as long as you speak your truth,

someone's gonna listen.

And I learned that I was a lot stronger
than I thought I was.

In the very beginning,
there was just a couple videos

and just a couple of kids,

and it grew into such a huge
and powerful movement

that started this entire camp.

During that time,
it was really important that we had

our own cameras and media outlets
to share our own stories.

It made me proud to live on Standing Rock

and to be indigenous

and to be surrounded by the people
that I was surrounded by.

Tokata, because she's brave,
she makes others around her brave.

She's willing to express herself
and that's the gift.

I need you to stand
with other native kids,

other brown kids around the world
that need you to be strong.

She is lighting up other people's fires.

-Whose lives?
-[crowd] Our lives!

-Whose lives?
-Our lives!

-Whose strength?
-Our strength!

It's been three years since Standing Rock,

and I have a lot more purpose
than when I first started speaking.

It happens by sharing our stories.

It happens by speaking up about injustices

so that one day our daughters
don't have to put up with this.

Because I've gone to so many places
and I've learned a lot more,

I've realized you're not ever
just representing yourself.

You're representing people
that look like you,

people that come from
the same place as you,

and people who resonate with you.

To have support to tell my own story
is so important to me,

and I take a lot of pride, um, in that.

-Hi.
-Hi, Ma.

I'm really fortunate to have everything
that I need in my home.

We're cooking tacos.

I would describe my home as a place
that's warm and loving.

I'm one of the lucky ones here.

I know a lot of kids don't get
to have that, so I'm really grateful.

Growing up, some of my friends didn't know

if they were gonna have food
when they got home.

People would always knock on our door
every day,

asking us if we could spare bread

or if we could buy them groceries
and things like that.

You didn't give me a hug though.

When you grow up in these places,

there's a scarcity complex here
and it's a struggle.

It's a struggle every day.

I'm just-- I'm making mine.

[woman] People might think,
"Well, why don't you just leave?"

But we have a connection spiritually,
um, and also historically,

and we wanna to leave that legacy
to the next generation.

I've raised our kids to see it
as an opportunity

to be next to where our sacred sites are
and to be near people

who can teach us about
our language and our ceremonies.

[in Lakota]

[Sara] Tokata really wants to be
a part of turning around

and focusing on what is it that's unique
about our society as Lakota people

and what are the assets that we feel
that other people could learn from us.

We are getting ready
to do a video with Tokata and Laree

and their creative writing class.

[Tokata] I wouldn't be the activist
that I am today without media.

It's being able to get
your message out there

so that somebody else can hear it
who might need it.

And I wanna be able to share that
with other people somehow.

[girls laughing]

A lot of the values and traditions
can really be modernized

and turned into something
that's accessible to everybody.

Okay, family. Let's circle up right here
and then we'll get started.

Tokata sees herself and her voice

as an opportunity to model resilience
and strength for others.

Today we wanted to talk about self-love.

[Laree]
Indigenous young women experience shame

and being targets of violence

at levels much higher
than any other group in the US.

Self-love for young people
is extremely important.

Whenever Native peoples are portrayed
in stories and movies,

in articles even, in local news and stuff,

the way that they make us look
isn't always the best.

Set the paper down.

-I'm sorry, this is, like, staged shot...
-Yeah.

In movies especially,
you see it's always the same story

about the cowboys and the Indians
and how the white man defeats the--

a brown guy, right?

[woman] Yeah, it's prettier.

Or it's a documentary
about how sad and poor we are.

And it's never showcasing
how much power and beauty

and resilience our people have.

[chattering]

[woman] Can you just kinda, I mean,
just keep doing what you're doing.

Tokata's really inspiring.

She does all these cool things
and she travels places.

I know it's hard.

She's, like, really open-minded
and smart and she knows so much.

We got a shot of her writing "self-love."

We don't wanna reveal that just yet,
so I'm not gonna pull that.

I think it's great that she's stepping out
of what people here do.

It inspired me. Yeah. Inspired me a lot.

[woman] All right, let's watch.

[girl in video] You are not
the negative things people say you are.

You are a role model.

[Tokata] Everybody has a story.

No matter where you come from,
who your parents are, where you live.

Everybody has a really important message
inside of them.

[girl] Love yourself.

We really need people to start sharing
so that we can change the world together.

-That was fun.
-Yeah, it was fun.

Even as an adult and her teacher,
I too look up to her. [chuckles]

[Tokata] Whoa, look at it.

-Whoa. See?
-Look at the wind.

That's the pathway to heaven right there.

Oh, my God.

[Chase] Remember when Inyan
very first gave of his blood

-and floated around Mother Earth?
-Yeah.

That became Skan, the blue dome.

The great dome of the sky.
And Skan created Tate.

You know, the wind that you feel.

We all have our own journeys
and our own paths that we're walking.

And she's willing to share this
with people.

She's willing to be a light.

And that empowers everyone around her.

The center of the universe is everywhere.

Yeah. So, like, you're your own center.

-Yes.
-That's why we have...

I'm really proud to be carrying on
this type of work

and to be able to give people's voices
a chance to be heard.

I really want other kids
to look at what I've done

and know that
that's a possibility for them too.

It's just really about how you see
the unattainable.

People say that everything is possible,

but it takes a different kind of person
to believe in that.

Storytelling is at the center
of what we do at Marvel every single day.

When Tokata got on our radar,
it was so interesting

because that's what she's doing.

She's, you know, carrying around
an entire universe of stories

and trying to get them out into the world.

The story of indigenous people,
of her community.

She's using her ability to tell stories
as a way to tell her community

that they should go tell
their own stories.

Yeah, and we wanted to be respectful
of those stories,

so we adapted one of Tokata's
favorite stories from her childhood,

"No Moccasins," for this comic.

And what it really does is,
it shows Tokata's superpower

-of bringing these stories to life.
-Right.

She's telling stories not just simply
set in the past, but stories--

There's her mother as a doctor
set in the modern day.

And, in fact, in telling these stories,

Tokata becomes a hero herself

-and is inspiring other heroes.
-Right.

And she's doing it
via astral projection here.

Right. Well, that was the issue.
Like, how do you show--

You know, we've got these powers,
all these kids.

We've given them very physical powers.

There's super speed, super strength,
flying, armor, all of these things,

-where her power is more emotional.
-More emotional.

Comics are a visual medium.

So we needed to give her the power
that could be seen on the page.

I mean, we've worked with Chris Sotomayor,
who did the coloring on this comic.

And used the colors
to really pull these stories out.

He brings them to life.
They're vivid, they're vibrant.

Francesco's work on the art
I think focuses on

all the things that really bring us
into the story in a way.

You're really drawn in.

And she's the sweetest girl
telling these fantastic stories

and we get the whole scope
of her experience within three pages.

So now, we've got the comic.
I cannot wait to show it to her.

We've found out that
she's never had a surprise party before,

so we're gonna be at her school.

We got her favorite teacher,
we got her friends,

and I'm hoping that she's as excited
as we are and make it known that,

"Tokata, you are a part of
The Marvel Hero Project."

[applause, cheers]

Oh, my God.

So you thought that we were having
our regular gathering today

but we're here to celebrate you

because we appreciate you
and all the work that you do.

Thank you. Thank you, guys.

We love you. Come see your folks.

-Are you surprised?
-Yes.

Good to see ya.

Tokata, your Até has some
words to share with us.

-That I do.
-Oh, my gosh.

"Dear Tokata.

It is so appropriate that we are here
in a place of learning.

You, despite your youth,

are in some ways more of a teacher
than a student.

You have found your voice
and it continues to grow every day.

And you use it to be a role model
to so many indigenous youth.

Your courage to speak out
for what you believe in

and the ability to hope for the future,
even through tough times...

inspires us all.

At Marvel,
we recognize that as a superpower."

Oh.

What is it?

"Well, when you open it,
you'll begin your initiation

into an incredible group
of young people just like you.

Heroes whose passion and commitment

are as inspiring as any character
we have created.

Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project."

Whoa.

"Take out the jacket.

It's a symbol of your place
on the Marvel team."

-Check it out.
-It's nice.

Cool.

"Also, to extend your efforts
even further,

we're making a donation in your honor

to an organization
that empowers indigenous youth

in the amount of $10,000."

-Whoa.
-Wow.

"And we have one more surprise.

In the box is an instant collector's item.

A one-of-a-kind comic book,
made by the mighty Marvel Bullpen,

that honors you.

We hope that on these pages
you'll see yourself

in the same way that we at Marvel do,

as a real-life superhero

like Black Panther, Ms. Marvel,
and so many more.

We know you'll continue to do
amazing things.

It's our honor to welcome you
to the Marvel Hero Project.

Nita-kola at Marvel."

[man] Whoo-whoo!

Whoo-hoo!

-Yeah.
-Stop.

[gasping]

-[applause]
-[man] Whoo!

I'm feeling really good and happy,
um, and really loved.

Yes. Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna cry.

-Oh, my gosh. This is my mom.
-Yes.

The Marvel design on the comic,
on the box, on the jacket.

It's a big deal.

Just understanding how important that is

for our youth to see other youth
as role models.

[Chase] Limitations crumble
when we see people who look like us

do things that maybe
we might not have thought possible.

"Our history comes alive
through the stories of our elders

and our past can lead us all
toward a better future."

Hmm.

You think of superpowers, you think of,
like, being invisible

and being able to fly and stuff.

But storytelling is a superpower.

I come from a people who've been doing it
for a really long time.

It's just so cool to be able
to make your message come to life.

And that's what I see in the comic book.