Words of Hope project seeks to inspire tribal communities

By Lailani Upham

PABLO — Many years ago a poster of Blood Reserve elder, George Good Striker, was placed all around the tribal community. The message and photo made such an impact that folks began to take down the posters and stick them up in their homes.

The composition of the image with Good Striker and Chief Mountain as a backdrop uttering words in the Kainai language telling the realness of the bad effects alcohol has in a person’s life – the message was then translated into English.

This same idea has sparked and came alive in this area with life-impacting messages scheduled to placed around Flathead this month, according to Judy Gobert, Ph.D, CSKT Tribal Social Services Program Manager.

Gobert went on to outline the story Good Striker spoke on regarding alcohol use in the tribal community and what a measurement of alcohol meant on a liquor bottle. “Where a bottle might state “80 proof” that was how many “spirits” a person was opening up their lives to, Gobert explained, referencing Good Striker’s message and poster. “He (Good Striker) said, ‘Don’t be one of those spirits.’”

The poster project called “Words of Hope” is a part of the CSKT Circle of Trust Youth Suicide Prevention Program. It is funded by a couple of small grants through the Colorado Injury Control Research Center, says Gobert.

CICRC, established in 1995, is located at Colorado State University. Their mission is to reduce occurrences, severity and adverse injuries and violence through the development of evidence based approaches that bridge research with practice including both policy and programs. CICRC emphasizes building community based partnerships in under-served populations and rural areas.

Gobert connected with folks from CICRC at a suicidal prevention training a while back and found out they wanted to develop projects in Native communities, and she told them they could. This was the offshoot of the program.

The project initiated last year in collaboration with Salish Kootenai College, this year the project is solely ran by CSKT Tribal Social Services with photography by SKC student Samantha Rainbow, Gobert explained.

With this project each month, a Kootenai elder, a Salish elder and a community tribal youth will generate new posters with a message in the language with a English translation on the bottom.

Gobert said the program is working closely with the Kootenai Culture Committee members and the Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee to decide on appropriate design, photo and language message.

There will be 100 posters for each elder/youth poster making it a total of 300 posters distributed reservation-wide for each month this year.

Gobert said she is hoping and believing the posters will have the same influence in the community for people to want to take them into their homes and display the messages for all generations of families to grasp on a daily basis.

The first launch of posters are of youth, Jerrell Joseph Piapot; Kootenai elder, Maklit Friedlander; and Salish elder Alec Quequesah.

A very young grass dancer, Piapot says on his poster, “We look up to you.” Piapot’s baby teeth smile and bright blue and orange beaded basketball headband covers three quarters of the poster.

Kootenai elder, Maklit “Muggs” Friedlander’s photo has her looking off the sacred Chief Cliff Mountain stating in Kootenai, “Look out for each other. Love each other and you will go a long way.”

Salish elder, Alec Quequesah says, “Thank you for living life” with a tip of the evening sun shining on the Mission Mountain range in the background.

Using the tribal language brings a great deal of meaning to communicating hope into the communities around the Reservation, says Gobert.

A Suicide Prevention Conference in scheduled on the Flathead Reservation May 24 -25 during the National Suicide Prevention week, Gobert stated. Details are in the works and information will be out soon. For more information on the CSKT Circle of Trust Youth Suicide Prevention Program or the upcoming conference, contact Judy Gobert at (406) 675-2700, ext. 1321.