KOTA-TV: Lakota Teen Suicide; WBCWS project benefit concert

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MunisingWhiteHorse
August 09, 2007

This video from a Rapid City, South Dakota TV newscast is posted with permission from KOTA TV News Director John Petersen. KOTA TV did an excellent story on the tragic problem of teen suicide at t...

This video from a Rapid City, South Dakota TV newscast is posted with permission from KOTA TV News Director John Petersen.

KOTA TV did an excellent story on the tragic problem of teen suicide at the Lakota Rosebud Reservation.

The teen suicide issue is just one of the projects of the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) in Mission, S.D. that has served the Rosebud Sioux Reservation for nearly 30 years.

On Sunday August 12 a benefit concert to aid the WBCWS will be held at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship Church in Custer, S.D. (More information on the concert is at the end of this page)

Rosebud Sioux Tribe declares state of emergency on reservation suicides

By Lela French

For nearly a decade teen suicide has been one of the biggest problems on the Rosebud Reservation.

"The belief right now is that it is at a crisis state," says Tillie Black Bear Executive Director of White Buffalo Calf Women.

But in the past two years the problem has gotten even worse.

Lino Spotted Elk is one of many fathers who had to deal with the loss of his son who committed suicide two years ago at the age of 19.

"It's really impacted myself and my family as far as of course the loss of a loved one. But also you know the way he went. You don't expect to bury your child," says Lino Spotted Elk.

But many parents have had to do just that.

Council members say in the past two years there were more than four hundred suicide attempts at least 10 of those were successful, and most were teenage boys.

Which is why tribal council members are declaring a state of emergency.

"The task force right now is attempting to bring together all the different agencies and programs on the reservation that are addressing suicide in anyway," says Black Bear.

Black bear says alcohol and drugs play a huge role in the number of suicides, but each case is different.

Social problems, depression, and poverty also contribute to the numbers.

"Many of these teens don't recognize that they're just at this place and time at this particular moment that tomorrow things could be different," says Black Bear.

Some prevention measures are already in place, but Spotted Elk says parents should just do what he regrets not doing.

"Spend more time with your children and do more things with them, you know in the prevention aspect. To help other parents prevent this from happening," says Spotted Elk.

If you are interested in helping, a benefit concert is being held in Custer at the Lutheran Fellowship Church Sunday, August 12th at 5:00PM.

For more information you can call the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, Inc. at 605-856-2317
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KOTA (TV-3) Territory News (ABC)

web:
http://www.kotatv.com

News Director John Petersen
johnpetersen@rushmore.com

Assignment Editor Jack Siebold
kotanews@rushmore.com

News Producer Jennifer Stahl
jennystahl@rushmore.com
---
More info on concert - Sunday, August 12, 2007 in Custer S.D.:

The public is invited to free benefit concert at 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship church in Custer, S.D. with donations for the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society domestic violence program, the nation's first battered woman's shelter for Native American women and children in Mission, S.D. that has served the Rosebud Indian Reservation for nearly 30 years.

Performing will be family string band White Water and Duo Borealis, two groups known for their unique folk music from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

For more information contact Rev. Dave Van Kley at 605-673-4691.

---
Links to indepth concert/WBCWS stories:

AAA Native Arts
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1...

ARTS 4-Christ
http://www.art4christ.com/lutheran-mi...
----
KOTA TV ABC Rapid City - Teen Suicide/Benefit Concert story
http://www.kotatv.com/Global/story.as...
---
RedWebz website:
http://redwebz.org/modules.php?name=N...
---
Urth TV blog:
http://www.urth.tv/content/view/16661...
---
Native American Times:
http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?...

Category: News & Politics

Tags:

Mission South Dakota Custer Lutheran Fellowship church White Water band Turtle Island Project benefit concert fundraiser

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doeboy253mbc (5 days ago) Show Hide

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damm that sum sad shit my nativee

sicangu213 (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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i like dat gettin sprung on bytches one...dats tru lol i live on da r.s.t. n i liked that one....NAIVE PRIDE NATION WIDE TILL WE DIE

kuhleskind (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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I concur..completely... any other minority when they fought for their civil rights they recieved it and citizens stood up and fought with them...but when Natives tried it, they were portrayed as troublemakers and told to go know their place and stay in it. I'm native, and it hurts, Native americans are the most horribly treated minority in this nation.

stonecold651 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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im white part native
i say we need to stop
killing each other

nativewolf90 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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yall are all dumb. it qots nothinq to do with tha qoverment. we kan leave our rez weneva we want.
why there iz such a hiqh % of teen boy deathz iz because some qet sprung over there gurlz and drink and yuh kno. bhut they all have there own stories. there not all tha same. coming from tha rez i should kno.

kuhleskind (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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actually you couldn't be more wrong, the suicide rates are so alarming, it is not just so many young individuals having normal teen troubles...as native americans on most reservations, it is an accumulation of trauma, historical trauma, hopelssness, and alcoholism and other abuses and for most, it is not so easy to just pick up and leave anytime they please for several reasons. Journalists as well as staticians do vigorous research to find these answers.

maryprelle (2 months ago)

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nupa1000 (2 months ago) Show Hide

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manderson is one of the high risk

SwopeSAM (3 months ago) Show Hide

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did anyone go to this concert?

DrDavenstein (4 months ago) Show Hide

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Please excuse my language...

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KOTA-TV: Lakota Teen Suicide; WBCWS project benefit concert

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