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Bear Project Raises Awareness For Suicide Prevention

Chynna Lockett

The Lakota Nation Invitational featured more than sports and competitions this year. Suicide prevention group, the Bear Project, gives presentations and performances to draw awareness to the youth suicide epidemic on reservations.

7 young suicide survivors lined up in front of a crowd of people for their performance early Friday Afternoon. 4 of them held the most common tools used in suicide on the reservation-a rope, an alcoholic beverage called Joose, a knife and a gun.

19 year old performer Brian Sherman consoled each performer and took the weapon out of their hands. The piece represented how a person coming out of their comfort zone to help someone in need can prevent a death.

Sherman is a choreographer and has been a performer for the group since 2010.

“I know I’ve saved a lot of lives. I mean, I’ve had friends that came from perfect home and you would never think they would be having their own problems. And they reached out to me and I helped them. We do a lot of community outreach. We host dances we D.J. weddings. We do just about anything we’re asked,” says Sherman.

Dance routines also included animal mascots dancing to popular songs to engage with younger audience members. Tiny Decory is the founder of the Bear Project. She says sharing stories that deal with suicide directly are important in combating it.

“In one month alone, in one month alone in September, we had 66 attempts. 66 attempts. Not an ideation, not an ideation. An actual attempt. The cutting, the overdosing of pills and the actual rope around their neck and hanging themselves. That’s astounding.  We’re still under a state of emergency. Our kids haven’t stopped. We buried 2 in November, we buried 4 in August. It hasn’t stopped. And we haven’t stopped either. We’re going to continue to be out. We’re going to continue to be out there and we’re going to continue to do the work that we have,” Decory says.

Decory says the members of the Bear project share their stories so kids and families can relate and see that they’re not alone in their struggles.