Opinions

Our heroes of suicide prevention

I don't recall the first time I knew what suicide was, but I remember the first time it hurt.

I recently had the privilege of listening to Vernon Stickman and Chris Grant speak about suicide prevention. Vernon, who lost a son to suicide a couple of years ago, had arrived in Galena after completing a 175-mile walk to draw awareness to suicide prevention. Chris, Vernon's cousin, offered trail support and help in spreading his suicide prevention message.

They say that a long time ago there weren't very many suicides among our Native people, because they believe that everyone helped one another. But in these modern times we are not helping each other as much.

Chris spoke of how it is a result of alcohol and chasing after money and losing our culture. As a result, today many Alaska Natives can tell you that they honestly do not know how many funerals they've been to that were caused by suicide.

Last year when my cousin Tyler Huntington and his partner Chris Olds competed in the Iron Dog in the name of suicide prevention and won the race, I could not have been more proud of him. I felt like for the first time in my life the tide was turning, that we as a Native people were finally coming to.

When Joshua Cadzow won rookie of the year in the Yukon Quest, I knew that he would soon become an important figure in our Native society. After John Baker won the Iditarod last year, it was like the world was becoming a little brighter for Alaska Native people. This year Archie Agnes and Arnold Marks ran the Iron Dog, helping bring the message of suicide prevention to receptive and supportive fans.

When I listened to Vernon and Chris talk about suicide, it took all the cool I had inside me to not get emotional; it's so hard not to when knowing of all the loss and sorrow we've all gone through. Emotions aside, I felt more inspired and more excited than ever.

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It's so easy to think about our hardships and use "our crutch" (alcohol). I say that because I still use it, but not as much as I used to.

I admit that my struggle with alcohol continues, but through the help of my family and their prayers, I'm at a place where I can be a force of good for my two beautiful daughters. I want to thank the people I mentioned for bringing me hope and determination, because the Lord knows I need it.

We need it. We not only need our families, we also need others. We need more of our Native people to continue with the message they so boldly and bravely bring to us. The healing will take a long time for sure, but I'll tell you what: This is going to be a bright and promising decade for us as a Native society.

I am 31 years old, I've been to countless funerals and potlatches, where I've listened to long-time speechmakers and so-called tribal leaders speak about suicide prevention. So you could say that, in my opinion, for nearly three decades we've been without heroes, without highly visible role models that could bring much-needed attention to this scourge of ours.

It is well-known that most, if not all, villages continue to struggle with the problems associated with alcohol and suicide. Young Native men and women continue to struggle with the thoughts of ending their own life.

We all need to continue the message that Vern and Chris is spreading, which is to love each other -- and express that love in words.

Again, I want to thank our new heroes for doing what so many well-meaning people have failed to do, which is bring suicide prevention to the mainstream of our culture. Thank you and God bless.

Eric Huntington is a resident of Galena who supports all efforts for suicide prevention.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch. Alaska Dispatch welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.

Eric Huntington

Eric Huntington lives in Galena.

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