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Teen suicide a fact of life on Native American reservations
Published: 17 March, 2010, 23:24
Edited: 09 April, 2010, 22:59
Pine Ridge is one of the poorest Indian reservations in the United States. An 80 percent unemployment rate and little hope for the future has translated into a growing number of teen suicides.
Hello, Our ancestors came to this country, but there was one big problem. Someone was here before them. They massacred the Native-American people. It is a down right shame that we can't somehow help these people. I tried as a teenager to kill myself several times. Drive my care a hundred and ten, with bald tires and only two lug nuts on the front wheel. I let go of the steering wheel going around the corner. Drank got high didn't care. Took pills to o.d. Put my head in a gas oven. Took tons of speed. I was so depressed I just wanted to die. Dying was all I thought about. So I can understand where these teenagers are coming from. We need to step in and help them. They have their whole lives in front of them. Our ancestors shipped the Native-American people off to reservations just to watch them die out. We are better than that. Todd O'Connor
I find it ridiculous that so many posts blame the current administration for what his happening while this problem has been festering for at least decades. Obama nor Bush had nothing to do with this. This is a problem of one culture overriding another. One poster, Todd got it right. His ancestors shipped them to reservations on lands they never lived on, and wasn't even farmable to do exactly that...to die. And they are doing just that. A slow long death. Suicide, diabetes, alcoholism, addictions. And as they die out his ancestors today put the very culture that they set up to die in shops and museums and study their culture and idealize their spiritual beliefs!!! But at the end of the day they do nothing to make available real help. But I say, that is ok...because a new way is coming...and things shall be set right! The indigenous peoples once were Kings. And I believe they shall be Kings again.
We need to start with the tribes getting federally recognized by this pres. who said on the campaign trail that the NAI will not be forgotten, If that is true than why is the white house not address that? than where are the American Indians is in the obama's adm.? The Obama adm. and the americans supports others in countries when in our back yard we have homeless and elders freezing to death! A very few hollywood entertainment people like Neil diamond and others have come out to support and bring attention to the american people about these issue. The Americans Indians will also be left behind again with this new Healthcare Bill, The AIHC funds run out at the beginning of the first 6 months every year if the American indians are only 1.5% of the pop.of the USA how will pres. obama healthcare bill help the NAI when the USA can't take care of this small pop.? Will the american indians get the short end of this HCB AGAIN? How will Obama healthcare be fair for the ANI.
Colonization through the process of dehumanization! First, it was genocide through war and overt measures of death through starvation and disease or giving blankets with small pox. Second, removal from land and removal of children for assimilation. Thirdly, parents ceasing to be parents, heartbreak lead to alcoholism and abuse. Today, we wonder why our indigenous people continue to suffer epidemic proportions, it is and always will link to the process of dehumanization by the systems of our government. We are survivors, not victims! In beauty it shall be restored! Help us through advocacy not your pity!!
The pain of losing someone to suicide is SO unbearable no one should have to deal with it. In 2002, my 14 year old cousin killed himself on the reservation. In 2009 I lost my uncle and a friend in a months timing to suicide. He shot himself and she hung herself. I was devistated cause it seemed like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. And where I live, we have kids dying and the age gets younger and younger.....These teachers and principals and whatever say they care about these kids and the thing with the school system is "no child left behind". If that is, they should be doing something to help these kids.....They should be worried...We have kids getting bullied, beat up, pressured, and all that other stuff and it's like the people to are responsible for it just get a slap on the hand. Our schools need to do something to help those who have lost people to suicide so it doesn't continue. They need to have suicide prevention stuff or something because it's getting sad knowing that somone is gonna die. Someone has to speak up and ask for help for these kids....I don't like seeing so many people, kids especially, hurting and I can say it like I said, from experience. Drunk or not drunk, you are fully aware of what is going on around you. You can't just use the excuse, "oh I was drunk" cause it doesn't work. It's time to step up and help our kids instead of just coming to school and doing your job and leaving. Kids attempting suicide is a cry for help! Will you make a difference is someones life before they end it??
Suicide is so repulsive and even pales compared to an auto accident scene. These suicides don't happen by accident. Their roots go back 500 years when Native Americans were uprooted from their social system and displaced. The Lakota were displaced from their original homelands further east from their present location. Ironically, up on the stone cliffs near Lakota lands are 4 faces of well-known U.S. Presidents who were oblivious to the matters concerning history as it was unfolding. Not much has changed to this day because these Native Americans are not part of the mainstream America's economy. They are far from it. How to solve this suicide problem: Continue with the on-going programs in these communities, involve elders, raise the standard of living by establishing enterprise zones to attract foreign companies to come to Indian lands to establish manufacturing plants which in turn, will create and foster a higher standard of living, focus on educational strategies that will enhance the self-esteem of Native American youths and provide training to Native American leaders in their respective communities so that they have a better comprehension of how to address social issues that contribute to the demise of their own people.
They are too bored. Bad weather and no jobs. So they have too much time to think.