Lakota Teen Suicide Crisis: White Buffalo Calf Woman Society benefit concert « The Turtle Island Project: Respecting the Earth, Native American and Indigenous Peoples

August 8, 2007...4:45 am

Lakota Teen Suicide Crisis: White Buffalo Calf Woman Society benefit concert

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

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

—

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.:

Tillie Black Bear on drums

Tillie Black Bear has fun with a drum set at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship in Custer on Sunday (July 29) during a meeting to discuss the free concert at 5 p.m. on August 12 at the church to benefit the country’s first battered woman’s shelter for Native American women and children.

Black Bear is founder/director of White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) battered woman’s shelter in Mission, S.D.

(Photo by Javier H. Alegree, media, education and public relations specialist for the WBCWS domestic violence shelter)

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.

Pictured (left to right) at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship church are Donna McConnell, church office administrator; Tillie Black Bear, founder/director of White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) battered woman’s shelter in Mission, S.D; and Rev. Kent Narum, church associate pastor.

A free concert will be held at 5 p.m. on August 12 at the Custer, S.D. church to benefit the country’s first battered woman’s shelter for Native American women and children located in Mission, S.D.

(Photo by Javier H. Alegree, media, education and public relations specialist for the WBCWS domestic violence shelter)

White Water folk group performs on Fourth of July 2007 in Munising, MI

The Iron County, Michigan family string band/folk group White Water is performing a free benefit concert at 5 p.m. (MT) on August 12, 2007 at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship church in Custer, South Dakota.

Pictured above are northern Michigan family folk group members Dean Premo (far right); wife, Bette (far left) Premo and their children, Evan and Laurel.

The concert is a benefit for the country’s first battered woman’s shelter for Native American women and children – the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) battered woman’s shelter in Mission, S.D.

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

Pictured below (left to right) at the Custer Lutheran Fellowship church are Donna McConnell, church office administrator; Tillie Black Bear, founder/director of White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) battered woman’s shelter in Mission, S.D; and Rev. Kent Narum, church associate pastor.

(Photo by Javier H. Alegree, media, education and public relations specialist for the WBCWS domestic violence shelter)

Tillie Black Bear mneets with officials at Custer Lutheran Fellowship church