"Great Peace brings Hodenosaunne history to life"

Three years ago artist Raymond Skye had a dream. He saw pictures flying at him that appeared to visions of stories of the Hodenosaunne people.

Three years later Raymond Skye now knows what that dream meant and with the help of Jeff Burnham the dream has become a work of love.

This week, the first ever comprehensive educational resource to reflect the Hodenosaunne perspective. "The Great Peace CD-ROM" will be launched in Toronto and give educators, parents and children a chance to witness the most historical event in Hodenosaunne or Iroquoian culture.

The CD, developed by Skye, Jeff Burnham of Working World, and researcher Sheila Staats, contains volumes of Hodenosaunne culture and history and brings the stories, legends and the Great Law itself to life.

The CD, meant for both home and educational use takes you on a journey through the ages of the Hodenosaunne beginning at the beginning with the Creation Story, moving through its "Dark and Troubled Times" to the birth of the Great Law and finding peace.

The CD is packed with vivid colour, interactive educational play and animation that jumps out of the screen at you as you stroll through history.

And it does it for children from elementary levels who will fall in love with its helper character in the shape of a rattle, will enjoy the activities section that teaches them about the nations of the Hodenosaunne through play.

It proceeds to the high school and university level and the information available is staggering, three are more than 3,000 screens that would virtually take you two weeks to go through the entire program.

Burnham is more than happy with the end results of three years of labour that turned into a mission of love. "We were very careful with the way we approached this project," he explained. "We wanted to be sensitive to traditional people. So they were consulted as we went through the entire project."

Raymond Skye carefully story boarded each scene.

In the Creation Story, the Sky World is vividly and colourfully portrait from oral history, attention is paid extensively to detail, we watch as Sky Woman falls, and Turtle Island is created with animals moving a giant Turtle that winks at you and you follow along as the story not only is visually unraveled but you hear the story in voices from Six Nations people.

Burnham says the CD-ROM was created to help preserve Hodenosaunne history and culture. "I think the Chiefs and clanmothers understood that we were not trying to recreate it, what we did was try to preserve the history in a sensitive manner."

He said chiefs and clanmothers have viewed the CD-ROM. "They're response has all been positive. They were surprised at the quality, the artistry, and just seeing it on a computer screen. One chief told me, that they supported the project, because it was time for it."

He said children as young as four have been fascinated by the program. "We've watched children, four-years-old, play with program for over an hour. They love it," he said.

For more information contact Working World at (519)753-1111.