Tracey Deer facts for kids

Tracey Penelope Tekahentakwa Deer, born on February 28, 1978, is a talented filmmaker and writer. She is a member of the Mohawk nation from Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. Tracey creates movies and TV shows that often explore Indigenous stories and experiences.

She has written and directed many award-winning documentaries. These films were made for Rezolution Pictures, a company run by Indigenous people. In 2008, Tracey Deer made history. She became the first Mohawk woman to win a Gemini Award for her documentary called Club Native. Her TV series, Mohawk Girls, was very popular. It ran for five seasons from 2014 to 2017. Tracey also started her own company to make short films.

In March 2021, Tracey Deer's movie Beans was shown at the New York International Children's Film Festival. This film tells a story set during the Oka crisis of 1990. Tracey herself lived through this event when she was a teenager. The movie stars Kiawenti:io Tarbell, a young Mohawk actress from Akwesasne.

Early Life and School

Tracey Deer was born in 1978. She grew up in a large, loving Mohawk family. Their home was in Kahnawake, a reserve in Quebec, Canada. This reserve is located south of the St. Lawrence River, across from Montreal.

Tracey is a member of the Bear Clan. She went to local schools in Kahnawake. These included Karonhianhnonha School Elementary and Queen of Angels Academy. After high school, Tracey moved to the United States for college. She attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. There, she studied film and earned her degree.

Tracey Deer's Career

Tracey Deer has had a busy career making films and TV shows. She is known for telling important stories. Many of her projects focus on Indigenous life and culture.

Making Documentaries

Tracey Deer has directed several documentaries. These films explore real-life topics and people.

Mohawk Girls (2005)

This was one of Tracey's first big projects. It was made with Rezolution Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada. The film looked at the lives of three teenage girls from her home reserve. They faced a tough choice, similar to what Tracey faced at their age. They could move away and possibly lose their rights as Mohawks. Or, they could stay and perhaps miss out on opportunities outside the reserve. Mohawk Girls won the Alanis Obomsawin Best Documentary Award in 2005. This award was given at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

One More River: The Deal that Split the Cree (2005)

Tracey Deer also helped direct this documentary. It won the Best Documentary Award at Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. The film was also nominated for a Gemini Award.

Kanien'kehá:ka/Living the Language (2008)

This film is about the language immersion program. This program helps people learn the Kanien'kehá:ka language. It takes place at Akwesasne. Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation reserve. It covers parts of both Canada and the United States.

Club Native (2008)

This documentary earned Tracey Deer a major award. She became the first Mohawk woman to win a Gemini Award for Club Native. The film explores what it means to be Mohawk. It also looks at community identity and membership rules. The film received the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Canada Award. This award was for the best Canadian multi-cultural program. Tracey also won another Gemini for her excellent writing. Club Native received several other awards too. It won Best Documentary at the Dreamspeakers Festival. It also won Best Canadian Film at the First Peoples' Festival. And it received the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Documentary. This was at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival. The film was made with Rezolution Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada.

Other Film Projects

Tracey Deer has worked on many different types of films. She enjoys exploring new ways to tell stories.

Crossing the Line (2009)

In 2009, Tracey worked with writer Cynthia Knight. They created Crossing the Line. This was a short 3D film. It was made for Digital Nations. This project was a collaboration between the NFB and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. It showed off Indigenous talent at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Escape Hatch and Mohawk Girls TV Series

Tracey and Cynthia Knight also worked on a comedy TV pilot in 2009. It was called Escape Hatch. This show was based on a short film Tracey directed in 2007. It followed the lives of four young Mohawk women in Kahnawake. They were navigating life in the 21st century, including looking for relationships. In 2014, this pilot became the TV series Mohawk Girls. It had the same name as her documentary. The series was very popular and ran for five seasons.

Mohawk Princess Productions

Tracey Deer started her own production company. She named it Mohawk Princess Productions. Her goal is to create her own short fiction films.

Beans (2020)

Her drama film Beans won an award in 2019. It received the TIFF-CBC Films Screenwriter Award. The movie first showed at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. The story is set during the Oka crisis of 1990. It features a young Mohawk girl nicknamed "Beans." She is played by Kiawaenti:io Tarbell from Akwesasne.

Television Work

Tracey Deer has also made a big impact in television.

Mohawk Girls TV Series (2014-2017)

In 2014, Tracey wrote and produced the first season of Mohawk Girls. This TV show was based on her documentary. It was broadcast on CBC. The show followed the daily lives and challenges of four young women. They lived in Kahnawake. The fifth and final season was completed in 2017.

Anne with an E (2019)

In 2019, Tracey joined the writing team for the third season of Anne with an E. This TV series is based on the classic book Anne of Green Gables. For that season, the writers added a storyline about Indigenous people. New characters were introduced. Ka'kwet, a young Mi'kmaq girl, was played by Mohawk actress Kiawenti:io Tarbell. Ka'kwet becomes friends with Anne. Her family members are also part of the season's story.

Personal Life

Tracey Deer is married to a person who is not First Nations. In April 2017, a newspaper reported on community discussions. These discussions were about membership rules on the Kahnawake reserve. The rules do not allow non-Natives, even spouses, to live on the reserve.

Tracey Deer has spoken about these rules. She has long supported allowing non-Native spouses to live on the reserve. She believes in finding ways for families to stay together.