Thoughts on Alcoholism

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

www.nativevision.org
Their great-grandfather was the brother of the great Lakota holy man Black Elk,
he explains, made famous by Nebraska author John G. Neihardt. Neihardt
interviewed Black Elk when he was an old man at his log home near Manderson.
Black Elk said the sacred hoop of the people was broken in 1890 during the
slaughter at Wounded Knee, less than 20 miles to the northeast.
From a ridge on his horse, Black Elk says in the book, he witnessed the
slaughter. He saw cavalrymen shooting into a gulch of stunted pines at women and
children.
Take courage, he told the men with him. These are our relatives. We will try to
get them back.
Then they sang:
A thunder being nation I am, I have said.
A thunder being nation I am, I have said.
You shall live.
You shall live.
You shall live.
You shall live.
They charged, and the cavalry retreated. They led their people out. They found a
baby near the head of the gulch. Black Elk wrapped it in a shawl.
It lived.
Black Elk had a prophecy: The Sacred Hoop of his people could be mended in the
Seventh Generation. If it is not, the Lakota race will die.
Many people on the reservation feel this generation of Lakota kids is the
Seventh. Loren Black Elk isn't so sure.
Kids today don't know Black Elk, he says. They don't read his book, don't speak
Lakota. They just want to listen to rap and wear gang colors. Get in fights. Get
drunk.
"The Seventh Generation - my Grandpa Black Elk, he talked about it. The Seventh
Generation. The Seventh Generation.
"But there ain't no way out for us."
"We have to become modern-day warriors, and we have to be straight to do that,"
www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/05/15/special_section/whiteclay/p2/doc4283bd911408c841973100.txt
www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/05/15/special_section/whiteclay/p4/doc4283be08b6499794113848.txt

He runs to the hall closet in the duplex and returns with two yellowed, stained
papers with words from the holy man Black Elk, their ancestor.
Carrie takes it from him and reads.
"...Here I stand, and the tree is withered. Again, I recall the great vision you
gave me. It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish
it then that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds. ..."
"That's his prayer," Chris says softly. "I read it much times. It reminds me of
Black Elk.
"I think about if he's still alive - it'd be fun."

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

Memorial walk seeks to put youth on right path

Chuck Haga, Star Tribune
May 31, 2005 WALK0531
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ROY LAKE, MINN. -- They walked Monday to remember parents and grandparents,
friends lost in war, the young dead of neighboring Red Lake and -- once again --
so many of their own young people killed in traffic accidents.

They walked keenly aware that four more died just a week ago, in a fiery one-car
crash on a dirt road less than a mile off the memorial route.

Many carried signs or wore T-shirts bearing the names of people they've lost as
they walked the 6 miles from Roy Lake to the new powwow grounds near Rice Lake,
where others waited with drums, campfires and food.

They walked alone, with friends and as families: about 200 residents of the
White Earth Indian Reservation and visitors home from the Twin Cities and
beyond. Some biked or pushed toddlers in strollers. One man made the trek in a
wheelchair.

<http://www.startribune.com/stonline/images/news98/DTI_1446572.e.jpg>
Lacy Auginaush ran from Roy Lake to Rice Lake.
Richard Tsong -taatarii
Star Tribune

"Some of the young ones run the whole way," said Ray Auginaush, who helped
organize the walk. "They get up there in no time."

Some walkers stopped at certain points along the way, places where loved ones
died, and burned tobacco. The smoke would rise to eagles circling overhead,
according to Ojibwe tradition, and those messenger eagles would carry the
prayers and sentiments in the smoke to the spirits of loved ones.

"As we walk, we talk about the good times we had with them," said Rita Swenson,
27, of Lengby.

Seven years ago, after five young people from the reservation died in traffic
accidents, most if not all involving drugs or alcohol, White Earth elders led a
Memorial Day walk to draw attention to the problem.

"We only had about 15 people that first year," Auginaush said.

But young people continued to die on reservation roads.

"We had about 120 people turn out to walk in the rain last year," he said. "We
dedicated the walk this year to the people who were killed in the school
shooting at Red Lake, and we invited the people there to come and walk with us.

"Then the four kids died in that accident here just the other day."

They weren't kids, but they were young -- ages 20 to 29. Last Tuesday, they had
attended an aunt's funeral. That night, they were out driving in the woods about
a mile north of Roy Lake when the driver lost control, the vehicle rolled onto
its top and caught fire.

Alcohol was at least partly to blame, friends and relatives said.

"It's a very serious problem," Auginaush said.

"Our tribal council is putting a lot more into working with our kids, and our
chemical dependency programs are starting to make a difference," he said. "But
now meth is an epidemic in our area. That's caused problems besides the highway
accidents. In the past six months, we've had a number of drive-by shootings that
were connected to drugs. There are gangs on the reservation, and kids as young
as 10 or 12 have been offered drugs.

"Our reservation is big. Our tribal police department is small. But this is our
future we're talking about -- our future tribal chairmen, our tribal
secretaries, our other leaders."

The Memorial Day walk is one response, he said, "one way to open the eyes of our
young people and show them there is a better way. And I think we're making
progress. We have many young people walking with us now. Before, it was only
adults."

Henry Fox, a chemical dependency counselor on the reservation, said he also
believes young people are responding to programs and activities built around
native traditions, including drums, song and dance.

"I went through the whole works that they're going through," said Fox, who has
been sober for more than five years. "I tell them, 'Things will come to you if
you sober up.' "

Norman Auginaush, 51, of Rice Lake, was at the cemetery next to the powwow
grounds early Monday for the traditional Memorial Day rifle salute to veterans.
His father, who served in the South Pacific during World War II, died two years
ago.

He had come out Sunday night as the two-day powwow began.

"The drummers kept going into the night," he said. "They took a little break
after the ceremony, but then some of the younger ones started up again, and they
kept going until about 1 a.m.

"It was such a nice night. It cleared off some, and you could see a lot of
stars. It's so quiet around here, you could hear the drums from quite a ways
off. You feel them beating like it's your heart. It was relaxing.

"Things like this set a good example for the young ones. They've got youth
groups, too, that take them camping, take them on trips to other states. It lets
them know there's other things than drinking and drugs."

Chuck Haga is [e-mail].


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[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

can't you tell I am trying to get somewhere with all of this? Wish our Navajo/Hopi Youth would do this.

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

Driver sentenced in death
Gazette Staff

A Lame Deer man responsible for the death of his friend in a drunken-driving accident on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation will spend 21 months in federal prison.


U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull on Wednesday sentenced Warreco Jay Killsnight, 23, at the mid-range of the guidelines, noting he had three previous drunken-driving arrests in tribal court but little or no punishment.


Killsnight apologized for his actions and offered his condolences to the family of the victim, Mathais Lee Michel III, 25, of Lame Deer. Killsnight said he is a young Indian trying to overcome pitfalls and that he was prepared to take responsibility and move on with his life in California, his new home.


Killsnight pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in March for the accident last Aug. 4 west of Lame Deer on Highway 212.


Prosecutors said Killsnight was driving with three passengers - Michel, Oliver Glenn Jr. and Dana Shoulderblade - when he lost control and wrecked.


A Montana Highway Patrol investigation found Killsnight has been drinking heavily that day and evening and was traveling between 80 mph and 90 mph when he missed a curve. The vehicle rolled several times and all passengers were ejected. Michel died, and Glenn and Shoulderblade were injured.

[asdzashash]

Alcoholism has been a major problem to our people. We have loss many by the addiction of alcohol, both consumers and innocent beings on the road or living with alcoholic. Families suffer right with the alcohlic. Its a difficult situation, all you can do is keep doing what your doing now, speak the truth of his results. Such as I, you will touch some and heal some, you may even open the door or lead to their sobriety. I admire your call, I admire your ambition to help.

[zero]

i know comsuming alcohol and driving don't mix, i know cause i was one of those that drank drive, so many times i was caught for DUI, but never learned my lesson, til 7 years ago, when i almost lost my life, but limited my ability to play b ball and run. to this day, i still drink but yet i am limiting myself to drink, i learned my lesson in drinking and driving, but i am a social drinker now, back then i had nothing to lose cept my life which wasn't valuable at that time, now my son makes it all worth while.