Re: [Redbadbear] Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth.

Sam asks:    
Hunter, do you think there has been a major increase in suicide among Indian youth?  Or has it been a relatively steady rate?


Realizing that the great majority of Native people do not commit suicide, it remains that suicide among younger Native people -- especially early adolescence to, say, early 30s or so -- has been a consistent tragedy through much of the 20th century when life began to be increasingly circumscribed by encroaching Euro American culture.  In conjunction with this, patterns of anti-Indian racial and cultural discrimination became closer and sharper. This has continued to the present moment.  Some suicides are direct; others occur via alcoholism -- however subconsciously driven. The latter factor is certainly found among "older" Indians as well. I think there has been an increase in youthful Native suicide in the past 20 years or so -- that goes beyond simply more pervasive and accurate reportage of such tragedies. Three factors are deepening economic vicissitudes, including in the cities; lack of perceived worthy challenges; and the relatively "new" [for Indians] matter of "hard" drugs.  A key danger is the "cluster/contagious phenomenon" -- exemplified, for example, by about seven youthful suicides in the matter of a very few weeks among the relatively small Penobscot tribe a generation ago.

How fast and how well this is going to be addressed is speculative.  There are always good people who do that which they can in these situations -- and then do even more.  But much, much more is needed.

That's my short answer, Sam.  I could give a much longer one -- with case histories.

Thanks for commenting -- and asking.

H

HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
and Ohkwari' 
Member, National Writers Union AFL-CIO
www.hunterbear.org 
(much social justice material)

"I Consider Myself a Real Red:"  The Social Thought of
American Civil Rights Organizer John R. (Salter) Hunter Gray
(from The Journal of Indigenous Thought (new material 9/12):
 http://hunterbear.org/Red%20essay%20on%20Hunter%20Gray.htm

See the Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father]:
http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm
(Expanded, and with more photos in Fall 2012. Material on our Native
background.)

For the new (11/2011) and expanded/updated
edition of my "Organizer's Book," JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- 
with a new and substantial introduction by me.  We are now at 
the 50th Anniversary of the massive Jackson Movement of
1962-63:  http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [email protected] 
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2012 7:16 AM
  Subject: Re: [Redbadbear] Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth.


    
  Hunter, do you think there has been a major increase in suicide among Indian youth?  Or has it been a relatively steady rate?

  There is of course a lot of suicide among US troops and recent veterans as well.  And I wonder if there are groups among whom it is growing.








  -----Original Message-----
  From: Hunter Gray <[email protected]>
  To: Bear Without Borders <[email protected]>
  Cc: Redbadbear <[email protected]>; SycamoreCanyon <[email protected]>; marxist <[email protected]>
  Sent: Wed, Oct 10, 2012 3:00 pm
  Subject: [Redbadbear] Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth.


    

  http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/10/14340090-suicide-is-epidemic-for-american-indian-youth-what-more-can-be-done

  HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
  Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
  Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
  and Ohkwari' 
  Member, National Writers Union AFL-CIO
  www.hunterbear.org 
  (much social justice material)

  "I Consider Myself a Real Red:"  The Social Thought of
  American Civil Rights Organizer John R. (Salter) Hunter Gray
  (from The Journal of Indigenous Thought (new material 9/12):
   http://hunterbear.org/Red%20essay%20on%20Hunter%20Gray.htm

  See the Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father]:
  http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm
  (Expanded, and with more photos in Fall 2012. Material on our Native
  background.)

  For the new (11/2011) and expanded/updated
  edition of my "Organizer's Book," JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- 
  with a new and substantial introduction by me.  We are now at 
  the 50th Anniversary of the massive Jackson Movement of
  1962-63:  http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm