Programs

Eagle Books

The Eagle Books are inspired by the wisdom of traditional ways of health in tribal communities. The stories of a wise eagle, grateful rabbit, clever coyote and four young friends are introduced in the four-book series written by Georgia Perez, a community health representative for 19 years in Nambe Pueblo, New Mexico, and illustrated by Patrick Rolo (Bad River Band of Ojibwe, Wisconsin) and Lisa A. Fifield (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, Black Bear Clan). The books embrace the joy of being physically active, eating healthy foods, learning from elders about health, and preventing type 2 diabetes in Indian Country. An accompanying guide called Eagle Books Series: A Guide for Educators and Communities provides age-specific activities.

The original artwork featured in the books was exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and New York, NY, in 2008, and is traveling to Native and non-Native museums through 2012.

Learn more about the traveling exhibition of the original artwork, refer to the “tour itinerary” in the traveling exhibition prospectus.

The Eagle Books are included in the Office of Indian Education’s Digital Teacher Workshops for teachers of Native American students and are featured in the Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) curriculum.

The animated version of the Eagle Books as a full-feature DVD includes Chickasaw, English, Paiute, Shoshone, and Spanish languages, as well as closed captioning (English language only). Author Georgia Perez narrates the stories and children and adults from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe provide the voices for the characters. The DVD also includes activities on eating healthy and being active.

Eagle Books Series

Through The Eyes of The Eagle introduces the characters of Mr. Eagle and Rain That Dances, the American Indian boy he befriends. Mr. Eagle reminds the young boy of the healthy ways of his ancestors.

Animation/audio available in various languages.

DVD
Chickasaw
Closed captioning
English
Paiute
Shoshone
Spanish (subtitles)

Video
English

Audio podcasts
English
Chickasaw
Paiute
Shoshone

In Knees Lifted High, the second book, Rain That Dances introduces his best friend, Thunder Cloud, to Mr. Eagle who encourages the boys to be physically active every day.

Animation/audio available in various languages.

DVD
Closed captioning
English
Paiute
Shoshone
Spanish (subtitles)

Video
English

Audio
English

The third book, A Plate Full of Color, introduces Miss Rabbit and the boys’ friends, Little Hummingbird and Simon. Miss Rabbit teaches the value of eating a variety of colorful and healthy foods.

Animations/audio available in various languages.

DVD
Closed captioning
English
Paiute
Shoshone
Spanish (subtitles)

Video
English

Audio
English

Tricky Treats, the final book in the series, introduces the character of Coyote, a trickster. Coyote tries to tempt the children with his bag of treats, but the children teach Coyote about healthy foods and eating habits. Mr. Eagle and Miss Rabbit encourage the children and Coyote to choose healthier, “everyday” foods.

Animations/audio available in various languages.

DVD
Closed captioning
English
Paiute
Shoshone
Spanish (subtitles)

Video
English

Audio
English

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Ordering Information

Eagle Books are available in two sizes.

1. Small books: 8 x 10 inches
2. Big books: 14 x 18 inches

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  For a set of Eagle Books and the animated series visit http://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/diabetes.aspx or call 1-800-CDC-INFO or 1-888-232-6348 TTY.
  
  

• Indian Health Service

  Multiple copies of the Eagle Books and animated series are available through the IHS.
  
  

• Public Health Foundation

  The Eagle Books are available in bulk supplies through the Public Health Foundation.

For more information about cost and shipping, please contact 770-488-5062.

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Educator’s Guide

The Eagle Books Series: A Guide for Educators and Communities

The Guide includes more than 60 pages of cultural, physical, and nutritional activities. The activities, designed for classrooms (e.g., Head Start through 4th grade) and other community sites (e.g., home, libraries, community centers), are organized into five areas. Storytelling, native culture and health, healthy food education, physical education participation, and diabetes prevention comprise the five areas. Many activities are cross-curricular, integrating health and physical education, social studies, science, art, and math. Educators and communities will find lists of suggested vocabulary and selected resources accompanying each activity, with vocabulary definitions and more extensive resource references provided in the resources section, including information about type 2 diabetes, eagles, and American Indian and Alaska Natives.

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Community Outreach

The Native Diabetes Wellness Program is conducting an Eagle Books Community Outreach Campaign through 2012. Several sites per year throughout Indian Country will host events celebrating the Eagle Books and their culturally-relevant messages about physical activity and healthy eating. Programming includes large panels of images of the Eagle Books pages, storytelling, talking circles, art workshops, the animated Eagle Books on DVD, and seasonal events that coincide with local activities.

For communities who want to host their own Eagle Books outreach events campaign materials that promote health messages are available electronically.

Eagle Books Community Outreach Campaigns include partnerships with community organizations, such as the youth health program, Stepping out to health with Caitlin B. As a Native American youth advocate, Caitlin has used Eagle Books to teach youth throughout Indian Country about diabetes prevention, healthy nutrition, and physical activity.

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K-12 Curriculum

Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools: Health is Life in Balance

The Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools K-12 Curriculum (DETS) offers culturally- relevant and scientifically-based lessons that promote awareness about diabetes and lifestyle adaptations that can help prevent type 2 diabetes. The lessons encourage understanding of health, diabetes, science, community knowledge, life in balance, and health professions among Native American students. The K-4 DETS lessons include a set of the Eagle Books and animated DVD. Development was led by the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with eight Tribal Colleges and Universities, the CDC’s Native Diabetes Wellness Program, and the IHS’ Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention.

For information regarding the DETS program please contact the representative near your area.

Audio Resource

Audio-Digest Foundation: The Story of Diabetes

Ordering Information

The curriculum can be ordered by teachers for American Indian and Alaska Native students from IHS and can be downloaded from NIH.

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Traditional Foods

Using Traditional Foods and Sustainable Ecological Approaches for Health Promotion and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Using Traditional Foods and Sustainable Ecological Approaches for Health Promotion and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities is a 5-year grant that champions 17 tribal programs striving to restore local, traditional foods, and related physical activity, while strengthening social support. From South Carolina to Alaska, projects reflect the wisdom of indigenous cultures as distinct as the land each partner calls home.

The grant encourages communities to track project efforts for program improvement and project sustainability purposes. Emphasis also is placed on the importance of communities recording and sharing stories about healthy, traditional ways of living.

Overall, the “Traditional Foods” project goals are to—

• Support traditionally-oriented, sustainable, evaluable ecological approaches to diabetes prevention, focusing on community efforts to reclaim traditional foods and physical activity in their communities.
• Encourage local policy changes to increase availability and access to local, traditional foods and forms of exercise.
• Revive, create, and preserve stories of healthy traditional ways shared in homes, schools, and communities.
• Engage community members to follow program progress with an eye towards improvement and sustainability; participate in health promotion activities; explore diabetes in context with history, with social support; and share stories of hope for preventing diabetes and its complications.

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• Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Alaska
• Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, South Carolina
• Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma
• Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Oregon
• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina
• Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Nooksack Indian Tribe, Washington
• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Kansas
• Ramah Navajo School Board, New Mexico
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota
• Salish Kootenai College, Montana
• Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska
• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan
• Southeast Alaska Regional Health Care Consortium, Alaska
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, North Dakota and South Dakota
• Tohono O’odham Community Action, Arizona
• United Indian Health Services, California

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Audio Resource

• Audio-Digest Foundation: The Story of Diabetes

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Articles

Indian Country Today Articles

• Diabetes -prevention grants have unexpected ‘side effects’
  http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Diabetes-prevention-grants-have-unexpected-side-effects-99246519.html
• Attendees share challenges and successes
  http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Attendees-share-challenges-and-successes-99247384.html
• Taking control of the medium-and the message
  http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Taking-control-of-the-medium--and-the-message-99245599.html
• Superhero artist: Illustrator takes on comic book heroes and villains
  http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Superhero-artist-107312278.html
• Type 2 Diabetes links tribal colleges with K-12 schools
  http://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Type-2-diabetes-links-tribal-colleges-with-k-12-schools-107307103.html
• Potawatomi Traditional Gardener Promotes Growing Healthy Foods To Prevent Diabetes
  http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/potawatomi-traditional-gardener-promotes-growing-healthy-foods/
• Standing Rock Sioux Harvest Gardens and Buffalo to Fight Diabetes, Restore Health
  http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/29/standing-rock-sioux-harvest-gardens-and-buffalo-to-fight-diabetes-restore-health-63665
• ‘Through the Eyes of the Eagle’ Exhibit Promotes Traditional, Healthy Foods
  http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/10/through-the-eyes-of-the-eagle-exhibit-promotes-traditional-healthy-foods-57489

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

• MMWR Announcement: Native Diabetes Wellness Program Commemorates Native American Heritage Month-November 2011
  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6046a4.htm?s_cid=mm6046a4_e

USA Today Article

• Native Americans embrace tradition to defeat diabetes
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-24-diabetestribes24_ST_N.htm

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