Description
The Great Law Kayaneren'ko:wa inspired by the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace has just been published by Métis author David Bouchard's publishing company, MTW Publishers. This narrative poetry version of the Great Law of Peace is told through the words of Bouchard and accompanied by Tuscarora artist Raymond Skye's compelling artwork. This bilingual (Mohawk and English) version of the Great Law takes its rhyming scheme from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem, The Song of Hiawatha (a misappropriated name Longfellow attached to his borrowed character). The Great Law introduction explains some of Longfellow's errors in attributing Iroquois content to Ojibwe stories. Each page of text includes the English version beside the Mohawk Language translation. Mohawk language educator Frank Miller provided the Mohawk text. Colour images of Iroquois clan animals and other appropriate Great Peace moments by Raymond Skye appear throughout the book. English and Mohawk narration is available upon purchase of the book. A peel off sticker reveals a code to enter into David Bouchard's website. Purchasers can select the Mohawk reading by Frank Miller of Six Nations of the Grand River. The English narration is provided by David Bouchard. The song, Mother of Nations, by Joanne Shenandoah is sung following the narration. The book, The Great Peace is an important contribution to children's bilingual literature about the Haudenosaunee message of the Great Law of Peace. Highly recommended for schools and libraries. The Great Law Kayaneren'ko:wa has been selected in the Young Adult/Adult Category Longlist for First Nation Communities READ 2017.