Paulina Alexis

Paulina Alexis, “Mina” to her friends, is a Stoney tribe member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, west of Edmonton, Alberta. The youngest of four children, she is descended from a long line of cultural singers and artists, hunters, storytellers, scholars and filmmakers. Brought up in a family of filmmakers, she became a performer at an early age. She has performed singing, motivational speeches, dancing, and acted in short non-union films all her life. Besides continuing her acting, her dream is to become a director and to take Indigenous comedy/storytelling to the next level, and onto the big screen. She wants to create a positive impact for her people and to always remind Indigenous youth to believe in themselves and to follow their dreams because anything is possible. She stars as Willie Jack in the FX series Reservation Dogs.

Trivia: Her Indigenous name is Wagiya Cizhan, which mens “young female eagle.”