In the series premiere of MTV’s new digital series Hidden Healers, Cree creative James Jones (whose TikTok handle is @notoriouscree) talks about his journey as a hoop dancer, his mental health problems, and a bit of the history of the Cree.
“When I was just a young man kind of coming into my own, I dealt with a lot of anxiety issues,” Jones says in the show. “And now that I think back to it, I’m thinking maybe that I inherited from my parents and grandparents who went to residential schools.”
While the premiere focused on Jones, from Tallcree First Nation in Alberta, and Cree culture for Native Peoples Heritage Month in the US, future episodes will highlight people from various communities depending on the time of year. For example, there will be an episode for Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, and Arab American Heritage Month in April, among many other important cultural dates.
Jones’ Notorious Cree TikTok account has 3.8 million followers and 95 million likes. He has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance Canada and has performed hoop dancing on tour with A Tribe Called Red.
His hoop dance to The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights has been viewed millions of times.
The first episode of Hidden Healers is available to watch on MTV’s channels on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.