Sicangu News

By Vi Waln

I am a tribal employee. Before I was hired in my present position, I served on the tribal grievance committee. I’ve also served on many other tribal boards, committees and commissions. As a journalist, I sat in on many tribal council and committee meetings. Thus, I’ve studied how tribal personnel issues are handled from many angles. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed countless instances of excellent employees losing their jobs over petty politics.

When you are employed at a job on your own reservation, you often find you have a difficult time. That is, things can get political really fast when you are a tribal employee. In many instances, good workers are treated unfairly due to corruption and the destructive nature of tribal politics. Oftentimes, employees are fired when they attempt to do the right thing by reporting the wrongdoing of a supervisor or co-worker.

There are also many times when tribal employees have had their rights blatantly violated on Rosebud. Yet, nothing seems to be done about the wrongs committed by people in power. When employees are treated unfairly, perhaps even wrongfully terminated from a job, they are often completely ignored by the people charged with the responsibility to make the situation right.

It’s no fun when you’re frustrated over a situation beyond your control. People who are wronged by tribal directors, or elected officials, sometimes just give up seeking justice for their situation. I don’t blame them. It takes a lot of energy to stand up against the reservation monsters of corruption and tribal politics.

For example, the story I did on how the Chief of Police’s employment was handled has been read by many people. I applaud Kevin Swalley for his courage in continuing to fight for the job he was hired for over a year ago. It isn’t easy standing up for yourself against an entire tribal administration. He is not alone.

Last summer, I had a conversation with a former tribal employee who resigned because he grew weary of the corruption and politics he witnessed for many years at his workplace. He told me some very interesting things about how federal property and money was being misused. He did post some information on social media. The result of his social media post prompted a discussion on cyberbullying at a tribal council meeting.

I didn’t see any evidence of cyberbullying in his social media post. I admired his courage in putting the information out there for us to read. We deserve to be kept informed about what is happening in our tribal programs. So, when directors and elected officials fail to tell their people what’s really going on, it’s generally up to you and I to provide information for everyone to read. We are the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. We all have a right to know what happens in our tribal programs and government.

Last week I got an email from an employee who was terminated from his job when he tried to file a complaint about his supervisor. His email stated in part “I applaud you for having the courage to tell the Oyate of the tribe the truth of what is going on. I would like to meet with you about another story which involves a corrupt director and a corrupt tribal president. I have all documentation to prove the entire story.”

I also spoke with a tribal director who was recently terminated from his position. Apparently, he fired an employee for reasons he didn’t divulge to me. He told me the terminated employee went straight to the tribal president. Soon, the fired employee was reinstated in another position and the tribal director was terminated. The director was also told by a tribal official in the personnel department that he could not file a grievance against the tribal president.

However, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Personnel Policies and Procedures does state in part: “The decision of the Tribal President to suspend or terminate may be appealed to either the Tribal Council (as scheduled by the Tribal Secretary) or to the Grievance Committee.” (p. 40)

There are also employee rights being violated every day in tribally chartered organizations. Some of the things that go on in our tribal programs and chartered entities would make you sick if you knew about them. I grow weary listening to wronged people tell me their stories.

Unfortunately, there are many people sitting in positions of power on Rosebud who lack personal integrity. Many of their actions are unethical. There are elected officials and tribal directors who condone wrongdoing.

The tribe tends to treat their own people very badly. This isn’t right. We must do right by our people. We could be encouraging our people to be honest and ethical in their jobs. But instead our excellent workers are terminated, in many cases for attempting to report wrongdoing in the program they work for. It doesn’t have to be this way.

We are responsible for showing our children how to do the right thing. But many of us are not acting very responsibly. It’s up to each one of us to ensure our tribe moves forward with integrity. Our children deserve adults who act ethically in all they do. It’s time to stop disappointing them.

If you believe you have been unjustly fired from your tribal job, I strongly encourage you to file a grievance. Don’t give up. Keep fighting for your rights, no matter how long it takes. Justice is often slow on the reservation, but if you don’t give up, things will work out in your favor.

The star players on the corruption and tribal politics teams are counting on you to drop the ball. They want you to give up your pursuit of justice. Don’t let them win. Karma always sees to it that people get exactly what they deserve.

Kevin Swalley, Sr., a Rosebud Sioux Tribal member, was hired as the Chief of Police in November 2014 by Tribal Council motion. He was never allowed to start his new job and has spent the last 13 months trying to get his issue resolved. His challenge of the hiring of a non-member has been ignored by tribal officials. Courtesy photo. 

By Vi Waln
Times Correspondent

ROSEBUD – A Rosebud Tribal member who was hired as the Chief of Police over a year ago, appears to be a victim of tribal politics as he has never been able to start his job.

Kevin Swalley, Sr. was selected as Chief of Police by the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council (RSTC) on November 18, 2014. An excerpt of the hiring action reads “Motion to seat Kevin Swalley as Chief of Police.” The vote was 13 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 not voting.

The job offer was contingent upon Swalley receiving a favorable background adjudication. The process of conducting background investigations on tribal police officers often takes several months. He did receive a favorable adjudication, dated July 20, 2015, in which “a final recommendation for employment suitability and/or eligibility for a law enforcement position has been made.” A copy of this letter, along with several other documents, was provided to the Tribal Council last week.

The documents include an excerpt from a February 12, 2015 tribal council meeting which reads: “Motion to detail Marlin Enno to the Chief Administrator at Rosebud Law Enforcement Services and his current position at Adult Corrections be held until the end of this detail. He [shall] receive the Chief of Police salary and the term of this detail not to exceed 6 months. The detail [shall] be effective immediately and the supervision of Mr. Enno [will] be with the Vice President.” The vote was 16 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 not voting.

In the past, the RSTC has placed other people who’ve been hired as Chief of Police into the Chief Administrator position at the police department. This action is generally done when an applicant is waiting for his background investigation to be adjudicated favorably. The Chief Administrator job has also been held by people whose law enforcement qualifications are questionable.

Despite Swalley’s favorable background adjudication, on July 24, 2015 the tribal council approved a “Motion to advertise the [law enforcement] Chief Administrator’s position for 14 days.” Another motion from the same meeting reads “Motion to extend Mr. Enno’s detail until the position is filled.”

In a December 3, 2015 letter to the tribal council, Swalley writes that on May 20, 2015 he challenged “the fact the qualifications were lowered to meet M. Enno’s qualifications, [the Chief Administrator] position was not advertised and [Enno] is not a tribal member. President Kindle refuses to address [the] challenge. There were several other RST members who also challenged Enno. [These issues were] Not addressed by the President.”

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Personnel Manual allows qualified tribal members to challenge non-tribal members hired for any position. For instance, “If a Tribal member candidate and a non-member candidate(s) compete for the same Tribal job and a non-member candidate is hired, the Tribal member may appeal the hiring decision to the RST Personnel Committee on the ground the Tribe’s Indian preference policy was violated.”

The personnel manual also states “a non-member shall enter into a written agreement with the Tribe by which the non-member agrees to resign from his/her position upon notice by the Human Resources Director that an RST tribal member who meets the minimum qualifications for the job in question seeks to be retained for such job.”

Swalley also wrote that he “challenged the fact that I had been [technically] hired for the Chief Administrator position, [job title changed from Chief of Police], on 11/18/2014. This motion to hire me was never rescinded. I am more qualified and I am a RST member. This challenge was done prior to interviews. President Kindle refused to address this challenge.”

On September 8, 2015, Swalley again “challenged Marlin Enno for the Chief Administrator position, this position [was originally the Chief of Police job and] was already given to me by motion 11/18/2014 [and was never rescinded]. I am a RST member and my qualifications exceed those of Marlin Enno. President Kindle refused to address this challenge.”

Swalley also submitted an ethics violation on September 8 in reference to all the challenges and violations of the RST Constitution and federal civil rights violations he has suffered. None of his issues have been adequately addressed. He also states in his December 3 letter that he had several discussions with the RST Personnel/Human Resources Director and “did request in writing the disposition of both the ethics complaint and ALL my challenges. The challenges and ethics complaint have still not been addressed.”

He has approached both the Personnel and Judiciary committees with his issues. He has also spoken with several council members, yet his complaints have never been addressed.

“I am requesting my challenge(s) and ethics complaint be addressed in council due to the fact that the [Personnel] Director [Linda M. Honahni] and President William Kindle refuse to address these issues,” Swalley wrote in his December 3, 2015 letter to the tribal council, administration and the personnel department.

By Vi Waln

The Emergency Room (ER) at the Rosebud Comprehensive Health Care Facility was diverted to Urgent Care on December 5. The upper echelon of the Indian Health Service (IHS) determined what many of us already knew; Rosebud’s ER is not a safe place for patients to seek medical treatment. This is nothing new. In fact, many people who were improperly diagnosed at Rosebud’s ER in the past, were sent home to die.

Rosebud’s Tribal Council held a special meeting on December 5 to hear from Dr. Mark Jackson, Chief Medical Officer of the Great Plains Area Office in Aberdeen. Dr. Jackson, along with Area Director Ronald Cornelius, made the final decision to divert the Rosebud’s ER to Urgent Care. The diversion was effective at 6pm on Saturday, December 5, 2015.

I attended part of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council meeting on Saturday. I do think Dr. Jackson is an excellent public speaker. He seemed very diplomatic and had many good words for the Tribal Council. Trouble is, I didn’t believe anything he said. Without fail, Indian Country can count on the promises made by a federal bureaucrat to be broken.

So, we no longer have an ER at Rosebud. Basically, the ER was downgraded to an after-hours clinic. Wikipedia defines urgent care as “a category of walk-in clinic focused on the delivery of ambulatory care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional emergency room. Urgent care centers primarily treat injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an ER visit.”

Apparently, this decision was due to an inspection conducted last month on Rosebud’s facility by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS provides oversight for medical services provided by the IHS. The recent findings by CMS resulted in a notice to discontinue Medicare payments to Rosebud Hospital, due to unsafe conditions for patients. The facility has until December 12 to come into compliance with deficiencies.

President William Kindle, along with members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council, were notified of the ER closure at 4pm on Friday, December 4, 2015 by telephone. Rumors ran rampant throughout the weekend about the closure, or diversion as it was referred to by Dr. Jackson. The closing of our ER at Rosebud on short notice is a fine example of how we are at the mercy of the federal government and their employees. That is, a decision by a couple of IHS bureaucrats in Aberdeen has affected thousands of Lakota people lacking health insurance, who depend on the Rosebud Hospital for emergency care.

How rude for the IHS higher ups to give the Tribe such short notice. There was no attempt by the federal government to publicly inform our people who use the Rosebud Hospital about how the closure will affect them. The IHS higher ups basically left it up to our tribal leadership to explain to people what happened and how they will be affected. The way the decision was made and how our leadership was informed wasn’t right, it was downright abusive.

Still, the actions of the federal government don’t surprise me anymore. After all, they never cared about us, we are simply their wards. Just because they are obligated to provide for our health care needs doesn’t mean they actually care about us. This is obvious through the health care services, or the lack thereof, that we have received since being put on these reservations the government forced on us.

What’s even worse is we have some tribal people working right here in Rosebud who are supposed to ensure our hospital is top notch. Now, we all know that IHS hasn’t been fully funded for years. Still, the local and regional Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and IHS employees make damn good money. They are also enjoy premium health insurance coverage, as well as a generous retirement. Yet, the lack of education, as well as the downright incompetence of key employees, is apparent by their obvious inability to keep our hospital in compliance with CMS requirements.

I’ve realized through my experience with the local IHS that many federal employees are also extremely rigid. That is, some are completely focused on their pay grade, cash awards and the government regulations they are required to follow. So, enforcing government regulations in order to move up the pay scale ladder is often more important than making sure the people’s health care needs are met.

There are some hard working people employed in the local federal system. Maybe the federal government should put those employees who genuinely have the patients’ best interests at heart in charge of the Rosebud Hospital. I can’t apologize to the federal employees working on my reservation if I’ve offended any of them with this, or any other column I’ve penned. Writing the truth will always offend some people.

Finally, this week will mark the 18th birthday of my first-born Takoja. Sadly, she won’t be enjoying cake and ice cream at a birthday party with her extended family. She no longer walks Mother Earth because Rosebud Hospital sent her home to die when she was only 5 years old. So, the closing of Rosebud’s ER might actually be a blessing in disguise. That is, sending our Lakota people to other health care facilities could save their lives.

Vi Waln is Sicangu Lakota and a correspondent for the Lakota Country Times. She can be reached at viwaln@sicanguscribe.com

By Vi Waln

Bullying is a real problem. In fact, there are young people who have committed suicide because they grew weary of being terrorized by a bully. Yet, there are adults on the Rez who are in denial about how bullying contributes to suicide. There are also adults who deny that poverty is a factor in the choice some of our young people make to take their own lives.

I am an Unci. Yet, I make an effort to empathize with my Takoja. I try to truly understand how they feel. People my age grew up watching more incidents of heavy drinking, drugging, child abuse and neglect, as well as extreme violence and devastating sex crimes happening on our homelands. Life on the Rez is completely different from what it was forty years ago.

I was the victim of bullying when I was in elementary, middle and high school. Some of the torment came from my peers. I also remember instances when a mean adult at school was the bully. But I really don’t think I experienced anything as harsh as what goes on today with our students. People can be vicious when it comes to harassing others.

I also remember what it was like as a young person to feel completely self-conscious. When a person has low self-esteem, they will be especially self-conscious. Many of our children come from homes that lack not only the basic necessities, but are also devoid of an emotional, mental and spiritual support system. Some parents, for whatever reason, are incapable or unwilling to help their children thrive.

So, there are many children today who don’t get any positive attention at home. Many are belittled by their parents. It has to be really difficult to face each day with the knowledge that your parent doesn’t care much for you, while your peers at school all just want to torment you. For some students, suicide might be viewed as the only way out of what they think is an unbearable situation.

Technology has brought us cyberbullying. This is the coward’s way of terrorizing others. Our young people are very susceptible to online influences. There are actually people out there who create fake profiles with the goal of hurting others by bullying them online. This is one of the dark aspects of the internet.

As much as I depend on the internet to enhance my life, I wouldn’t be sorry at all to see it shut down for good, especially if it would disarm the online cowards who revel in bullying people they don’t know. If you are one of these people who hide behind a computer screen to engage in cyberbullying, you need to seek counseling because you obviously have major issues you’ve never dealt with.

We have to give hope to the young people we work with or encounter every day. On the Rez, we are also seeing many of our young people embrace both their masculine and feminine qualities. Many of our young people, as well as adults, openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LBGT). I commend them for their courage to embrace their true selves, even though they are often tormented for doing so. We have to do more to support all of our young people to reach their full potential.

It will take all of us working together to give our young people the tools to cope with the stress, and often dismal realities, of everyday life on the Rez. The adults who deny the effects of bullying and poverty aren’t much help. Things could change when the adults make an effort to genuinely empathize with our teenagers and children. Still, it might take a long time to reach the point where the adults can truly understand the inner emotions and outer hardships our young people experience every single day.

When one young person takes their own life, others around them might catch that feeling of total hopelessness, a feeling which may have largely contributed to the suicide. The feeling of total hopelessness is very real. People affected by suicide, or those who have attempted suicide, may have experienced how it felt for those dark emotions to overwhelm their life. It’s not a good feeling.

Our personal experience growing up is no comparison to the lives our children are living today. Society has changed greatly since I was a child. Life on the Rez is markedly different from what it was like when I was growing up.

We are all affected by suicide. It is going to take a conscious effort from each one of us to change the world our children and teenagers experience. We won’t have a future if our children keep taking their own lives. Take some time to visit with the teens and children you encounter every day.

A kind word and caring demeanor can go a long way. A simple act of kindness or encouragement could be the one thing that stops a young person from taking the next step. Be a good relative.

By Vi Waln

Kudos to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe for hosting an awesome celebration to acknowledge many of the organizations, tribal programs and countless individuals who stepped forward in the fight against the now rejected Keystone XL pipeline (KXL). It’s hard to describe the feeling of knowing you have been a part of making history. All pipeline fighters stood strong with their prayers in the battle against TransCanada. This is something our unborn generations will remember long after we are gone.

TransCanada’s monster KXL pipeline is dead. The black snake is defeated. Yet, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) stubbornly continues on with their certification process for TransCanada. Maybe TransCanada and the PUC missed something. I’m not sure if they are just uninformed or if they are just willfully wasting everyone’s time. Obviously, TransCanada and the PUC are both oblivious to the fact that President Obama denied the Presidential Permit application. Or maybe the PUC is in bed with big oil, just like a lot of other elected officials are.

Maybe we should all email or call the PUC to inform them that on November 6, President Obama stated: “After extensive public outreach and consultation with other Cabinet agencies, the State Department has decided that the Keystone XL Pipeline would not serve the national interest of the United States. I agree with that decision.”

Those of us who live in South Dakota are really not surprised at the actions of our PUC. Many of our elected officials, as well as private citizens, are arrogant enough to carry on as if the State Department and President Obama were still considering granting a permit to TransCanada. Without the permit allowing KXL to cross an international border, the project will not happen.

The intervenors in the TransCanada permitting process, which has been under review by the PUC for several years, filed a motion to dismiss the case on November 9. They stated, in part:

Because TransCanada failed to commence construction of the Project within four years of the date of the 2010 permit. . . it was required to file a petition with the Commission
Certifying that it could continue to meet the conditions upon which the 2010 permit was
Issued. Condition No. 1 requires TransCanada to comply with all applicable laws and rules. Condition No. 2 of the 2010 permit specifically provides that Keystone shall obtain
And thereafter comply with all applicable federal, state and local permits, including but not limited to: Presidential Permit from the United States Department of State.

Still, TransCanada responded almost immediately with objections to the motion for dismissal, stating:

There are no further necessary steps for the [PUC] to take other than to decide whether to accept Keystone’s certification. . . Having elected not to respond to Keystone’s proposed findings and conclusions other than by their joint motion, the movants appear motivated to delay the ultimate disposition of this docket, which was opened on September 15, 2014, and they should not be allowed to succeed. Keystone therefore respectfully requests that the joint motion be denied and that the [PUC] act on its certification petition.
Again, President Obama denied the permit application. The action by the President of the United States should be evidence enough that there are “no further necessary steps for the Commission to take.”

Only in South Dakota will you witness elected officials deny a decision issued by the President of the United States.

By Vi Waln

Wopila to President Obama for denying the permit which would have granted TransCanada permission to construct their Keystone XL pipeline through our homelands. There were many human beings involved in this fight over the past several years. Our prayers were answered last week when President Obama announced his decision to deny the permit.

Water is life. We have to drink water to live. The Keystone XL pipeline would have threatened our major water source. This pipeline was being proposed to be built directly over the Ogallala Aquifer. It would have also crossed countless bodies of water. This project would have affected all of us.

I remember testifying at a hearing hosted by the State Department in Pierre regarding the application for a Presidential permit. It was a scary day for me. There was a mob of roughnecks there. Those who testified in favor of the pipeline were like robots. Many grassroots people spoke up for Mother Earth that day. As we testified on behalf of our sacred Water, we were all laughed at by the fans of big oil.

So, this week many of us are thanking President Obama for denying TransCanada’s permit application. But this action would not have happened without the effort of all the pipeline fighters. Individuals and organizations came together to speak out against the construction of this project. They also deserve credit for seeing this through to the end.

Many pipeline opponents traveled to countless events and rallies to speak out against the Keystone XL pipeline. Some people who traveled all the way to Washington DC sacrificed a lot to get there. Many financed their own trips and even gave up their personal freedom by getting arrested during peaceful protests.

Farmers and ranchers who resisted easements along the path of the pipeline had their land taken away by TransCanada’s legal minions. I still don’t understand how our federal and state legislators could be in favor of eminent domain for a foreign corporation. TransCanada has obviously sold their souls for money.

The people working for TransCanada don’t act like human beings. A genuine human being will always put Mother Earth first. A real human being doesn’t sell out the entity which gives them life. The big oil corporations worship money. They have no boundaries when it comes to getting more money.

I know we all depend on money to survive but the greed demonstrated by the big oil corporations is pathetic. Our legislators from South Dakota are no better. Last week our delegation blasted President Obama for denying the permit. Those elected officials who supposedly speak for us in Washington also worship money. I am sure their campaigns were well financed by TransCanada as well as other big oil corporations.

So, I want to ask all the Lakota people who read my column to please register to vote. We have an important national election coming next year. It is imperative that we vote in people who have not only our best interests at heart, but the well-being of Mother Earth as well.

The fight against big oil is not over. You can be sure that TransCanada and other similar corporations will be groveling at the feet of those politicians who are disconnected from the Earth. The big oil executives will continue to gladly pump big money into the campaigns of the candidates who are most likely to move forward with the continued exploitation of Mother Earth.

Wopila to the Sicangu Lakota for establishing Oyate Wahacanka Woecun and for maintaining the Spirit Camp on tribal land near Ideal, SD. Many of our own people did not have faith in this spiritual effort. Our own people criticized our leaders for establishing the Spirit Camp. Yet, it was the prayers of our spiritual leaders and numerous others all over Mother Earth that helped to influence President Obama’s decision.

A wopila prayer circle and pot luck lunch was held over the weekend at the Spirit Camp. Today, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe begins a two day celebration to honor all pipeline fighters. A meal will be served at noon (11-13-2015) at Rosebud’s Tribal Headquarters. Tomorrow (11-14-2015) a public event will take place at the Sinte Gleska University Multipurpose building in Mission, SD. A meal will be served at noon. All are welcome to attend.

Wopila to all of you who prayed for this pipeline project to be stopped. I encourage our Lakota people to register and vote during the 2016 Presidential election. Thank you for your continued prayers on behalf of Mother Earth.

By Vi Waln

An important activity in October is Domestic Violence Awareness. There are many incidents of domestic violence happening not only on our reservations, but all across the world. It’s hard to image the number of people who suffer physical, mental, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse every single day.
Domestic violence is an issue which many people will refuse to talk about. For example, a neighbor might be aware of your violent situation but they will refuse to tell anyone because they think it is none of their business. This attitude just condones the domestic abuse. We all have a responsibility to begin talking about the prevalence of domestic violence in our communities.
Domestic abuse comes at the hands of close family members who live under the same roof. Victims of domestic violence should seek help right away. Do not continue to risk your emotional, mental, spiritual or physical well-being to stay with an abuser. Despite the danger, there are numerous women who make the choice to stay in abusive situations.
Witnessing or suffering from domestic violence attacks can contribute to mental illnesses, often known as disorders, in most victims. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) might be the most common result of domestic abuse. PTSD can affect anyone in the household who suffers from or witnesses the abuse. When you commit violent acts in your own home, you are also increasing the chances of your children living with PTSD into their teen and adult years.
We are worth more than the abuser wants us to think. Our children are precious and irreplaceable. Every human deserves an environment where they feel safe. I’ve always urged battered family members to get away from the abuser.
Many of us struggle to understand why it’s easier said than done to get out of a violent situation. It’s not worth putting your life or your family’s lives at risk to continue living with a violent person. We want abused family members find the strength to leave. We all deserve to live in a safe environment.
This week the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, Inc. will sponsor a Domestic Violence Awareness Walk in Rosebud on Thursday, October 15. The walk will begin with morning prayers at the Rosebud Hospital. They will pause for prayers at the Tribal Courthouse and Spotted Tail Cemetery. A meal will be served to all participants at the Tribal Building.
Other walks will also take place in reservation communities during the month of October. All of these walks will likely include the wooden, life-sized red silhouettes of women which are stark reminders of the violence that exists on our reservation and other communities across the world. The red silhouettes are placed at different public places by members of the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, Inc. These life sized silent witnesses are meant to remind us of how common incidents of domestic violence actually are.
Each one of these silent witnesses represents a Lakota woman from the Rosebud Reservation murdered by her husband or domestic partner. Violent acts leading to the murder of your partner are not Lakota traditions. Sadly, we still see too many Lakota women are physically abused on our reservations.
I can write every week to urge those of you suffering from domestic violence to get away from the person hurting you. But none of my advice or opinions will do any good if you make the choice to stay with your abuser. When you make the choice to leave a dangerous situation, there are alternatives available for you.
Many people pray every day for the safety of families affected by domestic violence. Please find the courage to get away from an abusive situation. Call the White Buffalo Calf Woman Shelter at (605) 856-2317 for help. Your life and the lives of your children are precious.

By Vi Waln

If you are looking for a sign not to kill yourself, this is it.

If you are looking for some sign to stay alive, this is it. Whether you know it or not, the world needs your talents and unique inner gifts. Your life is an opportunity to make some sort of positive difference in this world. If you were looking for a sign from Wakan Tanka, Creator God, the Universe, or an Angel to continue living, consider this your sign. Sometimes a simple sign letting you know that someone cares and wants you to keep living is all that you need. www.mentalhealthdaily.com

September is designated as National Suicide Prevention Month. American Indian and Alaskan Native people have some of the highest suicide rates on earth. Here on the Rez, many of us consider every month as suicide prevention month. We all must do our part to encourage our people on how valuable their lives are to their families, their tribe and others around them.

It was a completely different world when I was a teenager. I do remember all the bullying that went on, but I don’t remember anyone in my school committing suicide. Today, we’ve lost many Lakota people to suicide. The majority of them were just teenagers. Our children need their relatives and other people around them to help them realize they have their entire lives ahead of them. As individuals, we each have to make a commitment to do more for the young people we encounter every day. They all deserve to know that things will get better.

Still, it’s hard to believe that anything will get better when you live on the Rez. There are so many social problems our people are forced to deal with. Alcohol, drugs and broken families have affected us all. The lack of an economy and the high poverty rate have harsh effects on many of our teenagers and children. There are so many issues which can factor into the choice an individual makes when they are contemplating taking their own life.

There is a saying about how it takes a village to raise a child. Our ancestors knew this to be true and everyone contributed to raising healthy children. These contributions were made through ceremony, encouragement, teachings, being involved and educating the young people about what it means to be Lakota.

Unfortunately, much of our cultural teachings and values have been forgotten by our people. The influence of the wasicu has permeated our entire society. Alcohol, drugs, religion, boarding schools and the countless other negative influences brought by the people who came to take our land has contributed greatly to our cultural and spiritual losses.

We each have a responsibility to make an effort to encourage our people and help them see there is hope for all of us. More importantly, we have to provide our young Lakota people reasons to keep moving forward with their lives. We all have to do our part to combat the suicide statistics our reservations are known for.

Becoming involved in Lakota ceremony can contribute a great deal to the mental health of our children and young people. Last summer, I watched several of our young Lakota men sacrifice themselves in the sun dance. Their prayers were very strong. I approached some of them and told them how much I appreciated them because they gave me hope. The prayers of our young people can help to carry all of us forward.

Many of us pray every day for the families who have lost someone to suicide. We often have no words to comfort the people who are grieving the loss of a child to suicide. Their pain and grief are incomprehensible to us. The death of a child changes a Tiospaye forever.

I do want to say how much I appreciate the Lakota people who work in our suicide prevention programs on the Rez. They have difficult jobs. We can never be sure which one of our young people is having problems, especially when they don’t say anything. We have to encourage our teenagers and children to have a positive outlook despite all the negativity they might be experiencing or living with.

I especially want to acknowledge the tireless work of Tiny DeCory of Pine Ridge. She is my friend on Facebook and very active on social media. When a young person on the Pine Ridge Rez is contemplating suicide, Tiny will look for them no matter what time of day it is. She will post on Facebook the name of the young person and ask for help looking for them. When I see her Facebook posts, I pray for the young person to choose life. Thank you Tiny, for all the work you have done to save young lives. Many of us appreciate the work you do with the youth of Pine Ridge and the Bear Program.

If you are one of the people out there contemplating suicide, remember there are people who care very much about you. If you are having problems you can always call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to talk with someone about the issues you are facing. The number is 1-800-273-8255. On the Rosebud Rez you can call 319-1280. Please know there are people you can talk to who care and are willing to help you.

Remember, you are mistaken if you believe that committing suicide will take away the pain you feel. People who kill themselves leave behind family and friends who will experience a much greater pain than you are feeling now. There are people who love you dearly! Call one of the numbers listed above and get help today. Call upon our Lakota ancestors and find courage to keep moving forward. Your life is sacred.

According to Wikipedia, “Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.”

I began learning about emotional intelligence several years ago after being introduced to the concept at a workshop. I believe emotional intelligence goes hand in hand with emotional maturity. I’ve witnessed behavior from adults that shows their lack of both emotional intelligence and maturity. For instance, jealous people lack emotional intelligence, especially the ones who follow up on their feelings with violence.

A lack of emotional intelligence and emotional maturity can also be seen in adults who bully. They generally allow their negative emotions to control their behavior. They are quick to anger and often act without thinking. Their goal is to intentionally inflict harm on another person. The worst type of bully out there today is the cyberbully.

The cyberbully will inflict great emotional or mental pain upon others from his/her computer. There are many horrible tactics used by a cyberbully. I see a lot of these tactics used on social networking sites. A lot of people living on the Rez use Facebook to spread lies, gossip and hate. They also use Facebook accounts to hurt other people with malicious postings. When you are being attacked by a cyberbully on Facebook, there is usually nothing you can do. Cyberbullying is violence.

According to the website nobullying.com, “Bully behavior cannot be pinpointed to specific personalities, although many bullies suffer from internal struggles which often manifest into negativity towards others. Some of the common characteristics and personality traits a bully may have includes: uncontrollable anger and outbursts, the inability to control or direct emotions, low self-esteem, no confidence in self, no foreseeable future for oneself, and hopelessness.”

I witnessed an obvious act of cyberbullying on Facebook over the weekend. I would never have noticed what was going on if one of my female friends hadn’t pointed out what someone else was posting about her. She also shared screen shots of the Facebook posts, which contained indecent language.

My curiosity was piqued after I saw the screen shots. I visited the Facebook page of the adult woman who had posted the status update on her timeline. The language she used was obscene. The comments she made struck me as coming from an extremely angry person who lacked maturity.

I also read comments made by other adult women. I know some of these women personally. Some are employed with the tribe. I had no idea these women were capable of posting such filth. I wondered if they were intoxicated. The status update and comments under it were available for everyone who looked at the page to read, including the children of the woman they were referring to. Cyberbullying is conduct unbecoming to a Lakota woman.

The tribal council at Rosebud did discuss cyberbullying at an informal meeting they had recently. I believe the topic was discussed because of a Facebook post. However, I think there is a difference between sharing information with people on a social networking site and cyberbullying. We are all entitled to freedom of speech. Still, personal responsibility also comes with our right to freedom of speech.

After reading those horrible comments posted by several adult women, I hope the tribal council considers revising the personnel manual. There could be some standards put in place in terms of the public behavior of tribal employees on social networks. It doesn’t look right when tribal employees or tribal directors post denigrating information about other tribal employees. It’s blatant cyberbullying.

Some corporations have established standards which their employees have to follow, even after hours. It should be the same for tribal employees and directors. Our young people have a difficult time. And their lives are certainly not improved by tribal employees posting filth for the whole world to read on their Facebook pages. Tribal employees could be modeling positive behavior for our Lakota children, instead of publicly tearing each other apart on Facebook after work and on weekends.

Consequently, according to Ordinance 2007-09, which is the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual, “Tribal employees shall demonstrate the highest possible standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all public activities in order to inspire public confidence and trust in Tribal institutions. Such standards include, but are not limited to:
a. Dedication to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships.
b. Affirmation of the dignity and worth of the services rendered by the tribal government and maintain a constructive, creative and practical attitude toward community affairs and a deep sense of social responsibility as a public servant” (page 2).

I believe those tribal employees were not acting in the “highest possible standards of personal integrity” when they posted those vulgar words on Facebook. The RST Employee Assistance Program does offer free mediation services for tribal employees to work out their differences. However, many employees refuse to participate in a mediation session. Apparently, they would rather not solve their conflict with another person. This is another example of how our Lakota culture is being lost. That is, mediation was once a very effective way for the Lakota people to resolve their personal differences.

I was offended by the obscenity I read. The words those Lakota women used displayed an aspect of their inner minds. I was embarrassed for them. Still, people will vehemently defend their public right to behave, talk and post on social media any way they like after work and on weekends.

As Lakota women, we have a responsibility to our young people to be positive role models at all times. Tribal employees are still role models for our young Lakota people, even when they are not on the job.