"Ganohkwa Sra introduces its first children's book to SN Community"

OHSWEKEN - Ganohkwa Sra Family Assault Support Services has announced the publication of its first book, Eagle Child.

Eagle Child was written by Sandra Montour and illustrated by Bill Powless and sponsored by the Ontario Womens Directorate. The book is written for all children between the ages of four and 12 years of age dealing with the issue of sexual abuse and its prevention.

It is well written in a unique style to be culturally sensitive for Natives and to introduce the non­-Native children to Native culture.

The book has been distributed to all the service organizations in the Six Nations community with the Native Services Branch of Children's Aid and Native Child Welfare Prevention already placing orders for some of the 7,000 copies that were printed.

Margaret Thomas, acting Community Services Supervisor for Ganohkwa Sra, will be trying to get the book into area schools with the permission of parents and teachers, who need to be aware of the issue of sexual abuse and its prevention and how the book deals with the issue.

Thomas will be contacting 180 Native organizations across Ontario to introduce the book.

"We believe Eagle Child is an important step for service providers because it helps bridge the cultural gap that exists between Native and non-Native people," Thomas said. "Eagle Child teaches non-Natives about the Native way of life, while familiarizing Natives with the traditional way to relay an important message."

The story is a simple one of a grandmother explaining, in her own way, to her grandchildren

(Continued on page 3)

(Continued from front page)

how sexual abuse could affect them. Intermixed throughout the story are simple words in Mohawk, Tuscarora, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Onondaga with English translations brackets.

For example, "Grandmother takes the dish of cookies off the counter and says 'satien (sit) down my children I have a story to tell you both.' Grandmother begins her story as they sit down at the table to eat the cookies and prepare to hear her story."

The book was designed to help children understand sexual abuse from a traditional Native perspective. Eagle Child illustrates how two native children come to their own understanding of sexual abuse under the guidance of their grandmother.