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

♪ Molly of Denali ♪ Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪ (laughing): Whooo!

♪ 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: "A Qyah Juneteenth!"

TRINI: Ooh!

This beaded necklace is cool.

It is!

But aren't you supposed to be hanging those up for customers to see?

Just making sure it looks good first.

Yup, looks great!

(laughs) Okay, the shirts go over here... (muffled) Where do the masks go?

(shrieks) (sighs) Sorry, Molly-- I was just wondering where the masks go.

Over there.

Mahsi' for your help today, Trini.

It's a lot more fun with friends.

Anytime, friend.

Ooh!

It's almost June 19!

Is that someone's birthday?

It's Juneteenth!

That's why my mom is home on leave, and Grandma Dorena is visiting too.

(scatting) What's Juneteenth?

(record scratch) Juneteenth?!

Rodeos, hibiscus tea, poetry slams, and the best red velvet cake in the world!

That sounds fun!

I don't think we've celebrated Juneteenth in Qyah before.

What?

We have to have a Juneteenth celebration.

Yes!

What do you celebrate on Juneteenth?

The end of slavery in the state of Texas.

Or maybe the end of slavery in the whole country?

Um... you know what?

I bet my Grandma Dorena could explain this really well.

The first Juneteenth happened in Texas, but the holiday celebrates the end of slavery in every U.S. state-- even Alaska.

Thanks, Grandma Dorena.

I knew it was something like that.

Quyana for sharing that with us, Grandma Dorena, but what's slavery?

Slavery is when one person takes another person's freedom away, and they aren't allowed to do what they want with their own lives.

Taking away someone's freedom is wrong.

Yes, it is.

And it happened to so many of our ancestors for a long time.

Enslaved Africans and African Americans were forced to do things they didn't want to do; and if they didn't, they were punished in terrible, terrible ways.

That's awful.

It is.

Slavery was like a nightmare for too long.

And it's something that people should never, ever have to go through.

Juneteenth is a very big celebration to remember the time slavery finally ended.

Thanks for explaining, Grandma.

Yes, mahsi'choo.

I can't believe we've never celebrated Juneteenth in Qyah.

Well, that's about to change.

We're gonna have the best Juneteenth celebration ever!

How did you say people celebrate Juneteenth again?

Well, where I'm from in Texas, we always went to a big rodeo.

With cowboys?

And cowgirls?

Uh-huh.

Woo-hoo!

Only I've never heard of any rodeos around Qyah.

They're so much fun!

Cowboys and girls, and rodeo clowns, and big bucking broncos!

Yee-haw!

Well, I haven't seen bucking broncos, but what about bucking muskox?

(gasps) They don't seem to buck much.

(gasps) And you probably shouldn't ride them anyways.

Sorry, Trini, I don't think we'll be able to have a rodeo.

(sighs) That's okay.

But we can still have cake!

Oh, yes!

Red velvet cake!

I even know how to make it!

You put in some very special ingredients.

Hm... You want buttermilk and canned beets-- for a cake?

Uh-huh!

A super special red velvet cake.

Trust me, it's delicious.

Oh, I trust you, but we don't have any canned beets or buttermilk.

None at all?

Nope-- I could order some for you though.

(groans) It won't get here in time for Juneteenth!

Trini, didn't you say you also drink hibiscus tea?

Do you have any hibiscus tea, Maurice?

(objects clatter) (sighs) Don't have any hibiscus tea here either.

(groans) But Auntie Midge might.

Blueberry tea, fireweed tea, labrador tea.

No hibiscus.

So is there anything else we can do to celebrate Juneteenth?

Well, my grandma usually hosts a poetry slam.

A poetry... slam?

What's that?

People write poems and perform them in front of a big crowd.

Maybe we could invite people to a poetry slam for Juneteenth!

I bet tons of people will want to perform.

Sorry, Molly.

I don't have any poems I've written.

I can't come up with a bunch of rhymes that fast.

And I'd be too nervous performing it in front of all those people.

(sighs) So much for the poetry slam.

I'm really sorry, Trini.

I wish we could find a way to celebrate Juneteenth in Qyah.

But we can't just skip it.

GRANDMA DORENE: Skip Juneteenth?

Whoever heard of such a thing?

We can't do a rodeo, nobody has red velvet cake stuff, and nobody will perform at a poetry slam.

How can we celebrate Juneteenth in Qyah?

Any way you want.

But we can't even find any hibiscus tea!

Hibiscus tea is just a symbol our family uses to celebrate.

A symbol?

Like a smiley face for when you're happy?

Not quite.

How about you kids come in for some lemonade and have a good listen?

So this picture is from last Juneteenth.

What color is the hibiscus tea, red velvet cake, and the other foods on this table?

Red!

That's right.

We have red food and drinks on Juneteenth as a symbol of the hard times our African and African American ancestors went through.

It's a way to honor and remember them.

Mm-hm, so it can be any red food or drinks.

When I was a kid, we always had lots of strawberries on Juneteenth.

But what about rodeos?

What's a rodeo a symbol of?

Well, we went to the rodeo because in Austin, it was one of the biggest celebrations on Juneteenth.

We got to watch Black cowgirls and cowboys show their roping and riding skills.

They were awesome!

But it was really about coming together as a community and celebrating Black freedom.

It doesn't have to be a rodeo.

It doesn't?

No.

As long as we celebrate Black freedom together, that's celebrating Juneteenth.

And poetry slams?

When we perform our poems, Black people get to share what's in their hearts.

Our ancestors weren't allowed to speak their minds, or even read.

So performing a poem is like a story I can share for them.

Through the poems, Black people can celebrate our thoughts, our strengths, our joys, and our struggles, too.

And many of those poems encourage us to keep working to create a better future for everyone.

But as much as I love a poetry slam, we don't even need that to make it a real Juneteenth celebration.

As long as we keep remembering our past... And our future!

Exactly.

As long as we're sharing Black people's stories, we're celebrating.

And we can do that however we want.

So we don't really have to have rodeos and hibiscus tea to celebrate Juneteenth?

No, Trini.

Okay, then.

Let's do Juneteenth the Qyah way.

I have some reindeer sausage.

What about a whole barbecue of red foods?

Ribs, dinjik burgers?

Mm-hmm.

And I've got some high-bush cranberries for a yummy red drink.

I can get together an information booth about Black history, so everyone in Qyah can learn more about why we're celebrating Juneteenth.

And if we invite everyone to a big barbecue, we can all celebrate Black freedom together.

This is gonna be so cool!

TRINI: Wait-- there's one more thing we can do to celebrate Juneteenth.

Wow-- you kids really put all this together?

(giggles) Yup.

Uh-huh.

GRANDMA DORENE: People learning about Black history, celebrating together, remembering our ancestors with red foods?

(chuckles) You really thought of everything.

Well... you haven't seen everything yet.

Oh?

(clears throat) Hi, everyone!

My grandma usually hosts a poetry slam in Texas on Juneteenth, but this year she came all the way up to Alaska to celebrate with us.

So, for our very first Juneteenth celebration in Qyah, I'm gonna host the very first poetry slam, with my very first poem, called "A Qyah Juneteenth."

Ah!

I don't need rodeos or bucking broncos, I don't need hibiscus tea or red velvet cake, I don't need a big parade or circus, I don't need fireworks to celebrate Black freedom.

Because with my grandma to remind me of our ancestors, and parents to teach me about today, and a village that is learning and friends to share the joy, I can celebrate Black freedom every single day.

(applause) Trini... (chuckles) This was the most special Juneteenth celebration I've ever been to.

Almost as special as you.

Hey, everyone!

Molly here to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Heather from Maine asks, "What's a land acknowledgement?"

Let's ask my friends in Anchorage.

ALL: Hi, Molly!

GIRL: Today we are having fun at the museum.

(giggling) Yay!

GIRL: Hey, what does that say?

"This is Dena'ina Elnena."

I wonder what that means.

GIRL: Let's ask when we get inside.

GIRL: What does that sign outside mean?

That is a land acknowledgment.

And if you want to learn more about it, you can go into the atrium, okay?

GIRLS: Thank you.

WOMAN: You're welcome.

♪ ♪ (splashing) Ooh, I got this far!

I got this far!

GIRL: Hey, guys, this is where we're supposed to go.

GIRL: This is called a land acknowledgment.

The text here simply reads, "This is Dena'ina homeland."

The Dena'ina people are the people native to this land.

GIRL: We didn't know what the word "acknowledgment" meant, so we had to figure it out.

GIRL: Well, the word has "know" in it.

To know something means to understand it.

We know that Alaska Native people have been living here for hundreds and thousands of years, and still live here today.

So it's really important to remember that.

And that's what "land acknowledgment" means.

Everything we can see here is Dena'ina homeland.

There's 1,000 mountains!

GIRL: It would be so cool to do an acknowledgment at our school.

♪ ♪ GIRL: We decided to say a land acknowledgment to our school, so everyone can know about the Dena'ina people.

Today, we are going to read a land acknowledgment.

"We acknowledge that our school "is built on the homelands of Dena'ina people.

We thank them for their care for the land, water, pl ants, and animals."

GIRL: Good job!

(giggling) ALL: Bye, Molly!

Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking and see you next time!

MOLLY: "The Mystery of the Missing Meat!"

MOLLY: "It was a tough case to crack, Mr. Bankhead, "but we know who broke into your safe.

TOOEY: "Your new security guard isn't a security guard at all!

MOLLY: "For under that mask is... MOLLY and TOOEY (gasps): Angelo Bonbon!"

The master criminal himself!

You know what they say?

If you've got a fox guarding your hen house... ...you're gonna lose a lotta eggs.

MOLLY: "So long, Bonbon!

Say goodbye to the hen house and hello to the big house!"

(laughs) I love this comic book!

(chuckles) Me too.

(stomach grumbles) Did all the egg talk make you hungry, too?

(giggles) We've got dry meat in the storeroom.

TOOEY: It'd be fun to be a kid detective.

Going on stakeouts.

Looking for clues.

If you were a kid detective, what would your name be?

Hm... ...Molly Moxy!

How about you?

Tooey Two-Shoes.

(chuckles) (sighs) Great names.

Too bad we'll never get to use them, because nothing ever goes missing in Qyah.

Except dry meat.

Hm?

I can't find the nelaan ggunh.

It's supposed to be right here.

♪ ♪ (gasps) A dry meat bag!

Someone gnawed right through.

They must have been really hungry.

(stomach grumbles) (gasps) Tooey!

You know what this means?

Gonna need a lot of dental floss?

No!

We have a mystery to solve!

We're on the case!

♪ ♪ "The Mystery of the Missing Meat!"

Here's a notepad so we can write down clues, just like Frankie Shadow and Stacy Snoop do.

Now, what do we know about the criminal so far?

Well, they like meat, and will chew through plastic to get it.

MOLLY: "Likes meat, has sharp teeth."

What else?

Uh, that's it.

Hm, let's ask my dad!

He's in the storeroom a lot more than I am.

Yeah!

Maybe he's seen something.

♪ ♪ Haven't seen a thing.

Nothing at all?

Well, now that you mention it, food has gone missing lately...

I'd been snacking on jak...

But when I went back, it was empty.

And one of our egg cartons only had 11 eggs instead of 12.

(rattling) And a link of caribou sausage went missing too.

TOOEY: "Blueberries, eggs and caribou sausage," don't hoof it on their own.

Someone had to take them.

Did you see anyone suspicious around here lately?

Uh-uh, just our regular customers.

(gasps) Although I did find some white hair on one of the shelves.

So it's a white-haired, meat-eating, blueberry thief!

Yup-- time to round up the suspects.

Tooey, you don't really think Auntie Midge and Grandpa Nat took the food, do you?

Yeah, it's hard to believe, but Frankie Shadow says, "A good detective goes wherever the evidence leads him."

And your dad said, "white hair."

I think I know how they did it.

They snuck around the bunkhouse and then... ♪ ♪ (Auntie Midge grunts) ♪ ♪ (laughs, record scratch) Why would I throw a single egg out the window?

'Cause you're just yolk-ing around!

(laughing) Hm.

Maybe you ate them there?

(laughs) You were probably hungry from all that flipping around.

You know it!

(laughs) Crime is a serious business.

(laughs) (exhales) I didn't take anything out of the storeroom.

But when I was helping your mom stock the shelves last week...

...I thought I saw someone hiding behind one of the shelves.

But it was just Mr. Patak picking up some kerosene.

Just the fuel our case needed.

Because, you know, kerosene is a kind of fuel.

Uh, let's talk to Mr. Patak.

♪ ♪ But Auntie Midge said Mr. Patak was taking kerosene, not food.

Probably to cook up all that meat he took.

Mm... mm... (record scratch) But the dry meat is already cooked.

Why would I need kerosene for it?

TOOEY: Maybe you used it to cook the egg.

There was one of those missing too.

(chuckles) I have a freezer full of meat.

I don't need to take anyone else's.

(sighs, snaps) Frozen out again.

But while I was putting the kerosene in my truck...

...I saw something flash past the window of the storeroom.

It was very skinny and white.

But when I looked closer, it was Vera dragging a white jump rope.

(Vera giggles) A-ha!

Not to jump to conclusions, but Vera could be our thief.

♪ ♪ (quietly): How would she get the nelaan ggunh past my dad?

He was right there!

(quietly): Easy-- she used her jump rope like a whip.

(grunts) (grunts) (grunting, whipping) (grunting, whipping) (record scratch) Are you guys going to follow me around all day?

MOLLY and TOOEY: Ah!

I'm going to the co-op for lunch, in case you lose me.

I didn't take the food, but I'm pretty sure I saw what did.

(gasps) What?

If I can borrow your notepad, I'll draw you a picture!

Oh, I'll get some colored markers from my dad.

And... uh-huh.

(gasps) MOLLY: That looks like Four Spots!

TOOEY: Um... ...Trini's dog's the thief?

What?

How did he even get into the Trading Post on his own?

Huh.

I bet he tunneled his way in.

(panting, sniffing) (barking) (reel whirring) (sniffs) (chewing) (barks) AUNTIE MIDGE: Whoa.

That dog's got talent.

But that is not a picture of Four Spots.

It's an avii.

An avii?

You mean an ermine?

Look it up and see for yourself.

(keys clacking TOOEY: It does look like Vera's picture.

Let's see what the website says.

"Ermines, also known as stoats or short-tailed weasels, "are native to Alaska.

"Their diets consist mainly of small mammals, like voles, shrews, and rabbits and bird's eggs."

Why would one be in the Trading Post?

Hm... uh, this says that, "ermines are really curious and they go inside homes looking for voles."

And once they're inside, they stay because it's safe, and warm, and there's easy access to food.

The website also said ermines are super fast, and their fur acts like camouflage, so people don't see them.

Well, if it is an ermine, there's only one way to find out.

♪ ♪ (Molly gasps) ♪ ♪ The Mystery of the Missing Meat is closed.

We make a great team, Molly Moxy.

We sure do, Tooey Two-Shoes.

(laughing) (sniffs) ♪ ♪