“Life gives you opportunities and if you feel passion towards something, it will show up in your life,”  declares Tyra Moses, full of vision for a future driven by narrative and cultural pride. She is from Fort Simpson in Northwest Territories and as the CEO and founder of Dene Media, she is committed to Indigenous representation in media and education through Dene perspectives, empowering Dene youth and Dene storytellers.

A Red Seal electrician by trade with a decade of mining experience, she went back to university to change her career path. In the background, she was pursuing her passion of photography. Becoming a mother reminded her to connect with her culture and encouraged her to return to her home community, shifting her personal and professional life. Moving from photography to videography and then multimedia, the scope of her work expanded.

She’s been working on a podcast about climate action from a Dene perspective, called All Ages All Voices Podcast integrating Dene voices in research and amplifying them nationally and internationally. The Dene-led research project includes collaboration with the Dehcho First Nations, Wilfred Laurier University and the Dehcho Collaborative on Permafrost.

Motivated by her passions, gifts and what makes her happy, she’s undertaking this work. While she acknowledges the importance of the trades for Indigenous people, she wanted something different and built her company using her own resources. “I just really want to make this possible for people because I know that it's needed and I know that I'm able to provide that solution and be able to provide that research engagement that's meaningful on so many levels, through media through education,” she explains, reflecting on her desire to provide a platform for Dene voices of all ages to be heard. “I just love the Dene community and I have so much love for the Denny people and that's why I do this work,” she continues.

Given the lack of written documentation of traditional stories, she feels that needs to be led by the Dene people. Mainstream curriculum has misrepresented Dene and Indigenous histories and Moses is looking to partner with Nations in sharing their stories and creating community engagement through storytelling.

“I really believe strongly moving forward, we could rebuild these Nations through storytelling.”

Academically, she is pursuing two degrees at the University of Lethbridge, studying anthropology and business management, with an Indigenous governance focus in her business management studies. She struggles with the absence of Indigenous perspectives in anthropology and is reconsidering that path how full her plate is as a mother and business owner.

Her advice for students leaving their home communities for bigger centers for school or work is to follow their dreams and work hard. Moses wishes education’s opportunities were emphasized more.“It really opens your eyes up to what's possible in the world… it's definitely a key to empowering ourselves as Indigenous nations, as Dene nations, as people, we could reclaim our stories, we could change the histories, we could tell our own histories and tell our own truths,” she affirms.

Moses knows hard work well. Starting her own company, a lack of resources was an obstacle. She started her website herself and worked with a business coach to improve her business. She prayed and connected with her community who received her vision with enthusiasm. Juggling everything as a student, spending her days on zoom has been a challenge but she’s done her best.

If she could give a message to her younger self it would be to value education. “I really feel like education is a key to moving forward as empowered Indigenous nations who are recognized as the original title holders and land owners of this land,” she shares. Living in the North with so many chances to connect with nature, language and culture means moving South for school gives the chance to appreciate home more when you return, she’s observed.

Over time, she’s learned the importance of Indigenous languages. Language learning can be challenging and she feels it’s crucial to remember that separation from language is part of colonization and not a personal failing. With new opportunities to connect with language, Moses sees new ways to move forward toward fluency. In one of her company’s projects, they added English subtitles to Dene videos to connect people with traditional stories. She sees it as a way of giving back to the community with the community’s support and it’s a source of joy.

To maintain her mental health, Moses receives mental health services through school. She prays, maintains a routine, watches motivational videos, finds time to be alone, and shares about her mental health online. She talks to people, walks, talks to the land and takes time for self-care. She schedules in downtime to relax, watch tv, play games, or play with her daughter.

For inspiration, Moses looks to her nation, her people, the land and her daughter. She wants to make changes for the future, create new ways to connect and contribute to better representation. She also hopes to create more employment opportunities for Indigenous people through her company.

This phase of her business is a lot of hard work but she’s eager to contribute to changing narratives in media and education while pursuing her passions. Supported by strong mentors, professors, cultural leaders, knowledge keepers, elders, chiefs and family members to follow her dreams and live a sober life, she’s influenced by her culture to be the best person she can be. Sharing the stories that were lost by colonization, she’s contributing to a new way forward.

“Now we have the chance to reclaim it and just continue, persevere, continue to show that we're resilient Indigenous nations, Dene nations and continue to inspire and provide hope to the youth and to the young adults, to all the people because I think we all need it. And it's not just about one generation. It's about all generations. It's about moving forward together and finding that community and I'm so thankful to be here today,” she beams.

Tyra Moses knows that life gives you opportunities and if you feel passion towards something, it will show up in your life. With more and more opportunities to pursue her passions as a student, mother, business owner and language learner, she is finding her way back to culture, community and connection to what truly matters. Creating a platform and passing the mic, she’s making new spaces for Dene representation and learning as she goes.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for writing this article.