Gerry RainingBird: Working with Tribes

A member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, Gerry RainingBird grew up on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in Montana. After college he returned to Rocky Boy to teach high school. Later, he travelled across the United States and to the Pacific Islands, giving cultural awareness presentations to explore the deeper meaning of the Native experience. Now, through the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), RainingBird provides training, resources, and support to American Indian and Alaska Native communities, where suicide among young men is double the rate of other ethnic groups.

What is your role with SPRC?

As a Senior Tribal Prevention Specialist for SPRC, I work as a liaison with tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, the Southwest, and Guam to connect them with suicide prevention resources and with other communities experiencing similar phenomena. They don’t have to do it alone. They can learn from a network of peers who share their experience and from the expertise of our team. I also translate the issues into a language and format that is understood by our Native communities.

What experiences from your youth influenced the work you do now?

Growing up in Rocky Boy in the 1960s and ’70s, there was an awareness of living in two worlds. One was at home, where our elders taught us to honor the traditional Native views and values that had been handed down through our stories, ceremonies, and everyday life: Respect for Mother Nature. Take only what you need from the world. Be generous with your time, knowledge, and wisdom. Be attentive to the natural cycles of the year.

The world at school, off-reservation and controlled by a non-Native school board, was a very different kind of educational experience. For example, they used the Dick and Jane books, which talked about white picket fences and life in a mainstream city neighborhood—things very alien to us. If anything was taught about our own history, it was a day or two before Thanksgiving, and it was really bizarre—Indian children wear paper feathers and headdresses cut from non-Native curriculum guides and taught by non-Native teachers.

It became apparent to me, later on, that we needed a stronger voice on what was being taught and who was teaching it. That was one of the motivating factors in my becoming an educator.

Did you have any mentors?

A teacher in fourth grade, Mrs. Hanson, was one of the best teachers I ever had in my life. She believed in us; she challenged us;, and she demonstrated a love for teaching and a love for us as human beings. That inspired me to want to be in an educational setting where I could influence the lives of young people. So, after college I returned to Rocky Boy to teach high school and coach.

I also had the privilege of working with Peggy Nagel, a tribal leader from our community who achieved a wonderful balance of cultural integrity in her successful efforts to create a college for our tribe. Her leadership and vision, dedication, and commitment inspired me.

How did you handle the differences between the native and non-native worlds?

My parents and grandparents stressed that we needed to navigate the two worlds, glean the best from both, and travel a path that was balanced.