The Lakota Rose Initiative

Native youth were presented with Lakota Rose bracelets as they take a one-year sobriety pledge. Photo courtesy of Catherine Whipple/The Circle

White Bison’s Lakota Rose Initiative was introduced in Albuquerque in September, 2003 and committed to by a group of youth at the Two Rivers Gallery in the Minneapolis American Indian Center in January, 2004. Here is the account of what transpired and how the Ceremony unfolded in Minneapolis.

The Lakota Rose Initiative
By Daune Stinson

Lakota Rose Madison

Living on a reservation with its own traumatic history, Lakota Rose Madison’s life and death parallel that trauma. In 1890, the Sioux leader Sitting Bull was killed in Little Eagle, Lakota’s home town­­one of eight districts on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) reservation, causing an exodus to Wounded Knee where the U.S. 7th Cavalry massacred 300 people. Despite the deep obstacles, Lakota was an outgoing, motivated and bright young woman by all accounts. Many believed she was destined for greatness­­to become a true Lakota woman.

With a median age of 19 years (compared to the national median of 33 years), 52 percent of the SRST 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. Makes Him First said Lakota discussed with her what to talk about. “She said, ‘I’m going to talk about suicide, alcohol, depression’. She sees it all, it’s very bad; the kids are really young 10, 11, smoking pot. She was like an investigator for the youth. She was a go-getter. She wasn’t afraid to stand up and speak her mind. She talked about coming from an alcoholic family,” Makes Him First reports.

Angel and filmmaker David Weinkauf were transfixed by her story and charisma and began filming her during speaking engagements. They say Lakota found her calling during those 10 days, along with many new friends and experiences. “It was her first time off the reservation. I saw how this impacted her, all these different things to do. She was articulate and spoke honestly; people loved her, she made friends. It made her realize she could change her life. She was not only concerned about changing her life, but the lives of her friends and her community,” said Angel.

“The reason I wanted to bring women from Standing Rock,” Angel went on, “was that I was struck by the amount of drug and alcohol use, violence, depression and poverty. The young people suffer violence from outsiders, their own families, their own communities, and it’s because of the high rate of alcohol and drugs. I don’t want to imply there aren’t functional families there––there are. There is a proliferation of gangs in place of family. Drugs and alcohol are an important part of social life. Given that mix, it’s hard to get young people interested in education or something outside of that fishbowl.”

During her stay in Ohio, Lakota came up with an idea of a safehouse, 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 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.

The Death of Lakota Rose
The details of her death are 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. “She was coming to do public speaking and work on the safehouse. That night she was tortured and murdered. They tied her to a tree for hours, she was beaten, her hair ripped out and raped. They threw her in the Grand River,” said Angel. “Somebody took the fall; he himself was severely beaten. Everybody there knows it was a gang murder and knows who did it. The case was handled terribly, in terms of saving evidence. It was a premeditated, torture murder. The family tried to get the investigation of the other kids involved. There were gang threats on the family’s lives. It’s impossible to get justice there,” concluded Angel.

Makes Him First said while Lakota’s spirit is very much present, the pain is also there. “She was murdered by more than the one sitting in jail. I believe that, I’ve seen it in my vision. They laugh about it and we can’t take it. We still pray about it, that it will come to an end. Our hearts still hurt when we hear them laughing,” said Makes Him First. “I wish I could re-open the case. There were a whole lot of things not brought up. She was beat up pretty bad and that wasn’t brought up,” she said.

Makes Him First said photos showed cuts all over Lakota’s face, and places where her hair had been pulled out. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson who prosecuted the case tells a much different version. There was no trial because Lakota’s cousin, O’Neal Frank Iron Cloud, 18, a SRST member from McLaughlin, SD, confessed to killing Lakota and was charged with second-degree murder by drowning.

“They were intoxicated. She called him stupid and he didn’t like it. The factual basis is he admitted to dragging her to the river. Another witness said it wasn’t vicious; he thought they were horsing around. They were at a summer party spot called The Tree. It’s a large, solitary tree on the banks of the Grand River where there’s drinking and swimming. It’s a party place,” said Hanson, adding that four other people were there that night.

Hanson said the coroner’s report showed alcohol in her body, and no type of beating. “Have you seen a body that’s been in the water for two days?” said Hanson, in response to why a closed casket funeral was held. “It’s a tragedy. There was no evidence that anyone else was involved. Madison’s dad calls frequently, we’ve run down a number of leads. (Iron Cloud) wasn’t from the community. There was no reason for him to take the blame,” he said. Lakota’s family believes Iron Cloud was forced into confessing. Calls to SRST law officials were not returned as this story was prepared.

Turning Tragedy to Commitment
Lakota’s story strengthens Mysti Babineau’s resolve even more. Presented with a bottle of vodka by her father on her ninth birthday when she lived on the Leech Lake Reservation, Babineau said it didn’t seem odd to her because she had never seen a sober person. Sober and drug-free now for three years, Babineau has added one more support system to help her on the Red Road. At a ceremony at the Two Rivers Gallery in the Minneapolis American Indian Center in January, Babineau, along with 15 other youth received a Lakota Rose bracelet. It’s just a simple bead bracelet with “Lakota Rose” spelled out in alphabet beads but its meaning holds a lot for the youth wearing it.

White Bison Founder and President Don Coyhis saw the 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.

At the conference in New Mexico, Pat Shepherd saw the video and heard Lakota’s story. Shepherd, with 12 years of sobriety, felt it was an important message to bring back to Minnesota. She was given three kits by White Bison and was determined to find at least three youth to commit to wearing the bracelet and a year of sobriety. “(Lakota) made a commitment to be alcohol, drug and gang-free. She was using at the time and in exchange for a path of recovery, she brought her message to youth,” said Shepherd. “White Bison didn’t want her mission to die, or her death to just go away.”

“White Bison is proud of the youth who made the
Lakota Rose Commitment, and all those who support them”

Marles Madison, who said his daughter’s death was a miscarriage of justice, is touched that other youth are being influenced by Lakota’s story and strength. “That’s real nice, to be in her memory. My family likes that. There’s not a time that she’s not forgotten. We sit around waiting for her to come home,” said Madison.

Mysti Babineau heard about Lakota Rose in Minneapolis. “Pat approached me with Lakota’s story, about how she gave up everything and how her life was taken away. I know how hard it is to be young. Having this to commit to, this gives me strength. It gets hard,” said Babineau, 18. “I go to six meetings a week and have two sponsors,” she said.

Babineau has suffered her own tragedies. Living in shelters, in many foster homes, through drug and alcohol treatment nine times, abandoned by her biological mother 14 years ago, witnessing the murder of her grandmother by her aunt, and gang involvement have been part of her life. “It’s God’s will, so I can’t really bitch about it. God has a plan for you. All that shit that happened to me, it’s for a reason. I may be able to help someone else. I plan to go to college. I want to be in a position to help someone. I go to meetings and school, and that’s about it. I keep to myself,” said Babineau.

“(Being in a gang) was the dumbest mistake of my life,” she went on. “I thought I was bad. I thought I’d have weed and money all the time. I was lucky, we moved and I never called anyone. Right before moving I was on a drug run with friends to Minneapolis to get drugs to sell. A car pulled up and a gun came out the window. I heard a bang and they struck my friend next to me. He died.” Babineau said the bullet was meant for her in retaliation for missing money.

It was a reaction from her adopted mother that finally put her sobriety into action. “I never saw my mom cry and I thought she was finally getting ready to give up on me. For some people, living under a bridge is rock bottom; my rock bottom is losing my family. I couldn’t lose my family,” she said.

Babineau enjoys talking to other kids about her life and spoke recently at Anishinabe Academy in Minneapolis. “A lot of those (second graders) told me they were in foster homes. It brought tears to my eyes. I like speaking. I don’t do it to be all high and mighty but to let them know I’ve been there. That’s important. That’s the best way to help, to say I’ve been there,” she said. “I wish I did have a powerful statement. I want Indian youth to know there’s more than drinking, smoking; it’s not glamorous. Asked if she missed getting high and hanging out, Babineau burst out laughing and yelled: “Hell, no! I like waking up and knowing where I am and not worrying where I’m going to get money for a joint.”

Youth Coming Forward
Travis Earth-Werner, 16, was also inspired by Lakota’s story and has committed to wearing the bracelet. “I needed another reason to be sober. (Lakota) was trying to stand up and she got killed, that was touching. I want to respect my Native women. I need to be a leader in my community and show others I can do it; show that Natives aren’t just drunks and can have a good life. I’ve struggled; it’s hard being sober. I know other kids who want me to start using. I need to have a good life. I tell them no,” he said.

Earth-Werner, who smoked pot and has been drug-free eight months, went on. “It’s becoming easier to take the path on the Red Road. A lot of Native people support me. I wanted to be like my dad. I would see people on Franklin Avenue, drunk and homeless. I want to get a good job, go to college, have a family and have a good place to live.”

Earth-Werner said he started using during some tough times in his life and it looked fun. “But it was stupid. I started being dumb, my grades started dropping, I missed a lot of school,” he said, adding that he still struggles. “If something’s going wrong telling people ‘no’ is hard when you’re on the Red Road. I don’t want to go back. I have my family’s support; everyone is sober, they all support me.”

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.

At the ceremony, Dr. Lori Banaszak from the Native American Community Clinic, presented each youth with an honorarium and a feather.

Heidi Helgemo of the LifeSkills Center for Leadership founded by Dave “Famous Dave” Anderson, offered each of the youth a $250 scholarship to participate in the LifeSkills Leadership program. “I felt it was important for the youth to have the tools to back up what they face. Our training offers tools to face that: to learn to stick up for yourself, and say ‘no’ and speak your mind; to have the confidence that I’m part of the Lakota Rose program and say ‘no’ and maintain that commitment and integrity. That’s part of being a leader, a warrior,” said Helgemo. “I was moved by how many youth were there. After being able to say to your community (you’ve made that commitment), it merited that gift from the LifeSkills Center.”

The Prairie Island Indian Community (PIIC) also participated in the event, bringing seven students. Arleen Kashata, PIIC family services, also heard about the program at the White Bison conference and brought it back to the Prairie Island Youth Council. “There was a connection because they’re Dakota. Them stepping up in this public way shows the support they have at home. Their self-esteem is growing. Some have not used, and a couple may be wavering that way but they have made the commitment,” said Kashata. “We hope to expand the program. I was really proud of them.”

The youth council, started over a year ago, voted to donate $150 toward the event at the Indian Center. The PIIC youth are being asked in a very public way for support. An article in the tribe’s newsletter identifies the youth and asks the community to support them.

Lakota’s dream of a safehouse is still being carried out. Angel hopes to have a groundbreaking in Ohio in spring 2005, while land is being negotiated in Little Eagle to connect that bridge.

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

White Bison also offers the Daughters of Tradition and the Sons of Tradition programs, addiction prevention programs for Native American youth.

Daune Stinson is a freelance writer living in Minneapolis. Her article first appeared in The Circle, a Minneapolis Native American News and Arts Publication. Contact The Circle at CircleMPLS@aol.com or (612) 722-3686 for a subscription.