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The life and death story of Lakota Rose

The youth who wear the Lakota Rose bracelet for sobriety and commemoration

The death of Lakota Rose
The details of her death are still in question. The case was prosecuted one way by the FBI, and interpreted another by her family. Her family and friends firmly believe gang members killed Lakota for many reasons: jealousy, intimidation of a strong woman, inability to let her leave the lifestyle.

The life of Lakota Rose
With a median age of 19 years (compared to the national median of 33 years), 52 percent of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe are under 20 years old; the reservation has a lot of young people with not much to do. Geographically isolated from even the basics, such as a grocery store, doesn’t offer much in the way of jobs. This, coupled with the drug, alcohol and gang problems on the reservation, it’s a challenge for many of the teens to make positive decisions. And Lakota wasn’t an exception. Involved with drugs, alcohol and rumored gang participation, Lakota was trapped only in what she knew.

Trying to make a change
A trip to Dayton, Ohio in March 2001 changed Lakota’s 17-year-old life. The Circle of Light Initiative conference at the University of Dayton, organized by Mary Anne Angel, opened a new world to Lakota. Angel had been involved in a filming project on the SRst reservation and became good friends with Lakota’s aunt, Helmina Makes Him First. Lakota lived a few houses down and also became a friend.

Lakota made the trip with her aunt and two other women from her town of 400. Lakota stayed with Angel in Dayton for 10 days. While there she began speaking out at the conference about the conditions on the reservation and the challenges facing the SRst teens.

During her stay in Ohio, Lakota came up with an idea of a safe house, a place for kids to go to escape violence, drugs and alcohol abuse. She wanted a place for her friends in Little Eagle and one for her new friends in Ohio to bridge the two communities.

Lakota went back to Little Eagle filled with hope and began to speak to the local kids about the issues facing them. In a memorial video by filmmaker Weinkauf and Angel, Lakota is shown talking to youth groups about her struggle with leaving that lifestyle and admitted she had fallen a few times. She stressed that the struggle would be a day-to-day fight. Her aunt and Angel said she sought out traditional ways to help herself: attending sweats, planning a vision quest and participation in Sundance. She was a dancer and had placed second in grass dancing. Her aunt said she was preparing a jingle dress for her when she passed on.

Lakota planned to finish her junior year of high school and go to Ohio for the summer before returning to Little Eagle for her final year of school. After that she hoped to return to Ohio for college. Angel set up speaking engagements in anticipation of that summer; Weinkauf planned to film her. Lakota, fighting her demons, called Angel in May and asked her to get her out of Little Eagle now. Angel, committed to another project, said she’d come out and get her in June. The night before driving to Little Eagle, Angel called Lakota to tell her she had her round-trip ticket; Lakota said she was packed. Pulling into Little Eagle three days later, Angel and Weinkauf were shocked at what they encountered. Lakota had been murdered the night Angel talked to her, and the community was planning Lakota’s funeral.

Turning tragedy to commitment

White Bison Founder and President Don Coyhis saw Weinkauf’s memorial video and thought Lakota’s powerful message would be a good teaching tool. White Bison, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, offers sobriety, recovery, addictions prevention, and wellness resources to the Native American community. He came up with the idea of youth, ages 13 to 19, pledging to a year free of drugs, alcohol and gang violence by signing a commitment card and wearing the bracelet as a reminder of Lakota’s message for strength. After the year is up, the youth are to find another teen needing strength and pass on the bracelet. Coyhis presented the Initiative at the Fourth Annual Circles of Recovery conference held in Albuquerque in September 2003.

Community involvement

Support from family and the community is the message Shepherd, who works at the Minnesota Dept. of Education and does this as a personal mission, hopes to get across. “The community––organizations and reservations––will identify the kids by their bracelet and support and inspire them. It’s a grassroots-based initiative. We carried it to this point. We’re asking communities to go back and promote the initiative,” she concluded.

Bracelet kits can be ordered through White Bison at: www.whitebison.org or 719-548-1000, and toll free at 1-877-871-1495.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Lakota Rose Initiative and are inspired to donate, please check out the White Bison link at http://www.whitebison.org/magazine/2004/winter_spring/vol5no5.html.

White Bison, Inc.

White Bison, Inc. is an American Indian non profit organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Through White Bison, it's Founder and President Don Coyhis, Mohican Nation, has offered healing resources to Native America since 1988. White Bison offers sobriety, recovery, addictions prevention, and wellness/Wellbriety learning resources to the Native American community nation wide. Many non-Native people also use White Bison's healing resource products, attend it learning circles, and volunteer their services. www.whitebison.org