November 08, 2008

Eagle Books promote healthiness

Smithsonian opens diabetes exhibit at NMAIThis month the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian premiered a new exhibit related to educating children about prevention of diabetes.

The exhibit is titled “Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living for Children” and features 65 original watercolor works of art by Patrick Rolo (Bad River Band of Ojibwe) and Lisa A. Fifield (Oneida Tribe). These works are featured in the Eagle Books, a series of books for young people that have been distributed to American Indian communities across the United States.

The four Eagle Books, “Through the Eyes of the Eagle,” “Knees Lifted High,” “Plate of Full Color” and “Tricky Treats” were written by Georgia Perez. The concept for the series was the brainchild of the Center for Disease Control and the Indian Health Service working in conjunction with representatives of numerous tribes from across the nation. Through a traditional Native American story telling approach, the books encourage children to follow their ancestors’ healthy ways of living: eating nutritious foods and remaining active.

“We’re excited about the Eagle Books because they make health education fun for young Native children and everyone interested in healthy living,” said Dr. Ann Albright of the CDC. “The Eagle Books have been well received in Indian Country and this partnership with the National Museum of the American Indian allows us to expand the reach of these critical health messages.”
Comment:  As I've said many times, illustrated stories (including comic books) are a great way to get a message across. Today's youth is more visually oriented than previous generations.

As you may recall, the Healthy Aboriginal Network's AN INVITED THREAT comic book also tackles the diabetes problem.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Books.

Below:  Patrick Rolo did some drawings for Blue Corn Comics too. Here's a sketch of Snake Standing.

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