"Raccoon & Crawfish,” the first Oneida legend brought to life through animation by Four Directions Productions, is now on sale in Central New York. The Oneida Indian Nation award-winning animated short, which has received national and international acclaim, is available for sale at Oneida Sky, a gallery-style retail shop featuring authentic American Indian art and craft at Turning Stone Resort Casino, all 12 SāvOn Convenience Stores and at the Oneida Nation’s Shako:wi Cultural Center.

“Raccoon & Crawfish” is a centuries-old Oneida legend that focuses on the moral that lying is bad and has consequences. The 11-minute animated short is introduced as it would have hundreds of years ago; with an Oneida elder telling the legend to an Oneida child. “Raccoon & Crawfish” is available in two attractive formats: DVD only--$4.95; and DVD with a glossy book --$19.95.

According to Ray Halbritter, Nation Representative and CEO of Nation Enterprises, “We are proud to be able to share the wonderful legend of 'Raccoon and Crawfish' with the public. It is through these types of legends, that the Oneidas and other Iroquois people learned life lessons as children since time immemorial. Today, we are preserving them for future generations, as well as helping non-Indians learn about our culture and history through these entertaining and dynamic platforms.” He added, “Like our Oneida exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and our float in recent years in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, this animated short is another avenue for sharing our culture and bringing to life the Oneida story for future generations of all people.”

In April 2007, the indigenous operation premiered its first animated short, “Raccoon & Crawfish,” at the Syracuse International Film Festival. That production went on to win awards at 18 festivals around the world over the past two years, including the prestigious Moondance Festival (2007) in Los Angeles, the International Film Festival of England (2008) and the Las Vegas International Film Festival (2009), as well as being screened at the renowned Cannes Festival in France in May 2008.

Four Directions Productions has started work on its second animated short—which is scheduled to be completed in late 2011. Once again, the award-winning studio is taking one of the ancient legends of the Iroquois and bringing it to life through animation. The upcoming animated short, “My Home,” focuses on a belief especially important to American Indians; the care and protection of Mother Earth. The key characters in this animation are an ambitious but environmentally untidy beaver and a turtle that takes her role seriously as a caretaker of the environment.

The Oneida Nation’s Four Directions Productions, a 3D animation/HD cinematography studio, is located on Nation lands near Sherrill, N.Y. For more information, go to fourdirectionsproductions.com