When Lakota Youth Speak, We Need to Listen | Marina Sachs | TEDxTheCountrySchool
Synergy is defined as the awesome outcome from two separate components coming together, a concept paralleled by the relationship between the Cheyenne River Nation and its government. The speaker highlights the vital role of play and hope in the community, evidenced by the creation of the Lakota You to Speak project to address high adolescent suicide rates. This initiative models collaboration as a necessary counter to historical broken promises and pervasive hopelessness.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker presenting the talk; connected to the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.
- Speaker's friend and the speaker: moved to the reservation after the friend graduated college to implement a project.
- Audience interaction focused on the concept of synergy.
## Theses & Positions
- Synergy is the outcome of two components combining to create something greater than they could achieve separately.
- A space for play, hope, and reparations is critical, especially during the difficult time of summer on the reservation.
- Trust between the community and outside partners is incredibly difficult to build due to the history of broken promises from the US government.
- To be an effective ally, one must educate oneself (e.g., researching indigenous-owned businesses) and then show up with tangible support.
- Addressing historical issues requires facing the truth and fostering ownership, rather than assigning blame.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Synergy:** Two components coming together to create an awesome outcome that could not have been achieved separately.
- **Playtime:** Considered critical for people of all ages, necessary for emotional wellbeing.
- **Restorative Justice Project:** The goal of the "Lakota You to Speak" initiative.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Lakota You to Speak:** A project designed to partner with Lakota professionals and the non-profit *Simply Smiles* to engage teenagers in the town.
- **Community engagement strategy:** Initially faced resistance from teens ("we're not interested," "we're not getting out of bed"), requiring the speaker to change the meeting time from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to gain traction.
- **Allies' Action Plan:** For those with privilege, the mechanism involves educating oneself (researching, borrowing books) and then showing up (supporting businesses, attending events).
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Late 1800s:** The US set up the Cheyenne River Reservation to confine and combine various tribes, including the Lakota Sioux.
- **Before 2015:** Speaker met Tio Kazoo Ghost Tourists in fourth grade; maintained contact via email for 16 years.
- **2015:** Speaker and friend moved to the reservation to begin the "Lakota You to Speak" project.
- **Ongoing:** The project is entering its fourth summer.
## Named Entities
- **Cheyenne River Reservation:** Location in South Dakota; roughly the size of Connecticut; established in the late 1800s by the US.
- **Lakota Sioux:** Tribal group whose members were combined onto the reservation.
- **Simply Smiles:** Non-profit organization partnering with the project.
- **Tio Kazoo Ghost Tourists:** Man who was an activist, radio host, and crucial for indigenous rights in the US; met speaker when speaker was in fourth grade.
- **LaPlante:** Mentioned in connection with the Cheyenne River Nation map.
## Numbers & Data
- Time elapsed between meeting Tio Kazoo and starting the project: **16 years**.
- Age when speaker met Tio Kazoo: **10** (implied fourth grade).
- Reservation size comparison: **roughly the size of Connecticut**.
- Number of girls who attempt suicide: **one in ten**.
- Project status: **entering our fourth summer**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Synergy Examples:** Metro boomin at 2170; Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol; Mike Wazowski and [unspecified partner].
- **Reservation Life Struggle:** Difficulties in being a kid when family money must go to food rather than art supplies (watercolors and paper).
- **Photo Initiative:** Giving teenagers disposable cameras and prompts to photograph their daily lives, which made the images more powerful because they had never used film cameras before.
- **Book Example:** *The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* by Sherman Alexie, praised for capturing nuances of reservation life through humor.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Coding/Project:** "Lakota You to Speak" (a restorative justice project).
- **Photography Tools:** Disposable cameras.
- **Digital/Audio Platforms:** Spotify or SoundCloud (mentioned as resources for finding artists).
## References Cited
- **Maps:** Map of the Cheyenne River nation and the US, showing location.
- **Books:** *The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* by Sherman Alexie.
- **Folklore Compilation:** A book compiling different Native American folk tales in graphic novel style.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Synergy Failure:** One side dropping the ball, one side repeatedly messing up, or one side tricking the other into a setup that favors a third party.
- **Historical Approach:** Moving away from assigning blame (e.g., blaming US history books) toward ownership.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker acknowledges the project's difficulty, noting that the day-to-day is often just about taking a "little victory like a hug a complete painting."
- The speaker explicitly states they are *not* blaming everyone for the issues.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Support indigenous-owned companies or businesses when shopping.
- Borrow books from a library by Native American authors; recommend graphic novels and children's literature.
- Utilize digital platforms (Spotify, SoundCloud) to find Native American artists and developers.
- Continue art initiatives until the teens achieve a greater sense of hope and belonging.
## Implications & Consequences
- The ability to play and have fun is crucial for mental health and building resilience, especially given the high rates of suicide.
- For allies, engaging with local culture and history through support and education can counteract historical systemic failures.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"what does synergy especially what's the actual with a definition of synergy"*
- *"it's like Metro boomin at 2170 or jean-michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol or even Mike Wazowski and selling their really good on their own"*
- *"what would happen if one side of those pairs drop the ball"*
- *"a space for play a space for hope a space for reparations"*
- *"there is a disproportionately high rate of suicide among adolescents on the Scheinman reservation"*
- *"you've got to come to this thing and then they were like we're not getting out of bed"*
- *"I think it's not about blame I think it's about facing our history it's about ownership"*
- *"If you are privileged whatever that means to you educating yourself is a really big first step and then showing up is another"*
- *"this is one of the really successful art initiatives that I started that we're going to continue next summer and indefinitely until these kids are in college and feel a greater sense of hope and belonging"*