Tribal members walk to shed light on suicide
September 19, 2014
On September 12, many American Indian tribes held walks in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week. For the Yakama Nation in Washington State, this was the first observance of its kind, and organizers were pleased at the turnout of around 200 people. The event included a lunch, a balloon release, and a suicide prevention workshop to share information and strategies for responding to suicide risk. Some suicide loss survivors shared their stories of struggling to overcome isolation in the wake of their loved ones’ deaths. Katherine Saluskin, manager of the tribe’s suicide prevention program, noted that the rates of suicide are high on the Yakama reservation and in the surrounding county, and said that her program has begun an effort to collect accurate data to help with prevention efforts. “I hope this will grow into a bigger (movement),” she said. “Ultimately, I just want to see people recover from their past trauma. I just want to see people heal.”
Spark Extra! Check out Sharing Our Wisdom, a new feature on the SPRC sitethat brings together stories and experiences in support of suicide prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.