May 1977: Al Chandler

May his memory be a blessing

The following information covers the general time period during which I was doing my fieldwork research among the A’aniiih peoples in the 1970s.

This review highlights the high incidence of mental and behavioral health issues, particularly suicide, among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations, with youth being disproportionately affected. Suicide rates among AI/AN youth aged 10-24 are 2.3 to 2.8 times higher than the general U.S. population. Males are more likely to die by suicide, while females are more likely to attempt it. Suicide methods among AI/AN populations are often more violent, such as firearms and hanging.

Comparisons between tribes reveal significant variation. For example, the Apache have the highest suicide rates, followed by the Pueblo, while the Navajo have the lowest. Tribes with loose social integration and those undergoing rapid social and economic changes tend to have higher suicide rates. Additionally, AI/AN communities experience higher rates of motor vehicle accidents, some of which may be linked to self-destructive behaviors.

While I was doing my study, I often observed high-risk behavior, particularly among adolescent and young adult males. Next to generosity, one of the most prominent and important traditional values for males was bravery. In the traditional culture, the expression of this value was found in horse stealing and warfare. Counting coup was a thing. Among certain Plains Indian tribes, warriors earned respect not by killing foes but by bravely touching an enemy in battle (with a coup stick, hand, or horse) and escaping without injury. These acts of courage, called counting coup, were commemorated with eagle feathers and preserved in oral histories and written records.

While I was observing this high-risk behavior (while driving a car or truck or out hunting or hiking in the canyon or Missouri breaks), I would often ask myself, am I observing the residual value of bravery or is this behavior reflect a devaluing or disregard for one’s life. Some of this remains unresolved in my mind, and it is possible that both are reflected in this behavior.

Key causes include acculturation stress, economic disadvantages, high unemployment, poverty, lower educational attainment, and cultural disconnection. Rapid social changes, such as increased exposure to mainstream U.S. society, have exacerbated stress and anxiety, particularly among youth.

I have written extensively in these blogs about the trauma that has been experienced on the reservation from acculturation. The traditional culture was destroyed, and people were not offered a satisfying replacement. For many it was much worse than being caught between two worlds … they were caught with no meaningful world. I would add to the causes, the instability in many families and the insecurity so many felt from the issues identified above.

Suicide clusters and "suggestible behavior" are also noted, where one suicide may trigger others within small, close-knit communities.

Efforts to address these issues have included community-driven interventions, blending traditional healing practices with modern mental health services, and improving social, educational, and economic conditions. These approaches have shown promise in reducing suicide rates in some communities.

The following information identifies how youth suicide rates compare to the general U.S. population. The youth suicide rate among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations is significantly higher than the general U.S. population. For the period 1980-1982:

• Ages 10-14: The AI/AN suicide rate was 1.4 per 100,000, compared to 0.5 in the general U.S. population, making it 2.8 times higher.

  
  

• Ages 15-19: The AI/AN suicide rate was 20.8 per 100,000, compared to 8.7 in the general U.S. population, making it 2.4 times higher.

  
  

• Ages 20-24: The AI/AN suicide rate was 36.4 per 100,000, compared to 15.6 in the general U.S. population, making it 2.3 times higher.

Overall, suicide among AI/AN youth is disproportionately higher, with the issue being particularly acute in certain tribes and communities.

The article primarily refers to data and trends from the mid-20th century to the early 1980s, with specific focus on the period between 1957 and 1982. It includes historical data on suicide rates, studies conducted during this time, and interventions implemented up to the mid-1980s. Some references extend into the early 1980s, such as suicide rates for 1980-1982, and the article itself was published in June 1987.

Author: Philip A. May, Ph.D.Reference: May, P. A. (1987). Suicide and Self-Destruction Among American Indian Youths. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 1(1), 57-74.

The situation has not improved in the past fifty or so years since I conducted my research. This is a contemporary review focused on suicide rates, comparisons between different population groups, and causes of mental and behavioral health issues among American Indians/Alaska Natives:

Incidence

• In 2022, suicide was the second leading cause of death for non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives ages 10–34.

• In 2020, the overall death rate from suicide for American Indian/Alaska Natives was about 50% higher than for non-Hispanic whites.

Comparisons Between Different Population Groups

• In 2018, American Indians/Alaska Natives were 50% more likely to experience the feeling that everything is an effort, all or most of the time, than non-Hispanic whites.

• In 2021, the death rate for suicide among adolescent American Indian/Alaska Native females, ages 15–19, was more than five times higher than for non-Hispanic white females in the same age group.

• The age-adjusted death rates for suicide in 2021 were higher for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native males and females compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

Socio-economic factors, historical trauma, and limited access to healthcare could be contributing causes for the higher incidence of mental and behavioral health issues among American Indians/Alaska Natives..

Source: Mental and Behavioral Health - American Indians/Alaska Natives

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/mental-and-behavioral-health-american-indiansalaska-natives

A New Mexico State University study found alarming rates of suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents. Between 2015 and 2021, 257 adolescents from these groups died by suicide, with the majority being males and older adolescents. The crude suicide death rate for American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents was 18.95 per 100,000, which is significantly higher than other racial/ethnic groups: 70.4% greater than non-Hispanic Whites, 239% greater than non-Hispanic Blacks, 284.1% greater than Asians, and 298% greater than Hispanics.

The study also found that over 25% of American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents considered attempting suicide, nearly 20% planned suicide, and more than 10% attempted suicide during the same period.

The leading causes of these high suicide rates include childhood adversity, poverty, racial discrimination, family and parental conflicts, untreated mental health problems, social isolation, substance abuse, and interpersonal violence such as bullying.

To address these issues, the study suggests two broader strategies: increasing mental health literacy and access to mental health care, improving school and community climates to enhance resilience, the feeling of belonging, and support for these children.

New Mexico State University study finds high suicide rates among American Indian, Alaska Native children. Release Date: 09 Dec 2024

https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-study-finds-high-suicide-rates-among-american-indian--alaska-native-children/

The fact that there has been no improvement over the fifty years since I conducted my research is way beyond demoralizing and depressing for me. I have been back to the reservation over those fifty years, but I haven’t lived there. Thus, it isn’t possible for me to come to any conclusions about why there hasn’t been improvement. It is impossible to think about life on the reservation without considering the relationship between federal government policies and programs and the quality of life of the tribes. The amount of dependence was so significant at the time of my research that beyond decisions concerning religion, it was difficult to find aspects of life that weren’t either determined or significantly influenced by these policies and programs. That suicide remains such a significant problem is an indication that we might want to think about doing something different in this relationship. And I’m not talking about termination or relocation. We broke this thing, and we own it. We destroyed their way of life. We gave them generations of total chaos. It’s long overdue that we try something more meaningful than throwing money at the problem. In my mind, we have to find a way to create a thriving economy and good jobs on the reservation, starting with good education and training opportunities.

I don’t know how the Indian Health Service works on the reservation today. When I was in Hays, physicians and mental health professionals were on the reservation doing their internships and residencies; probably to forgive some of their medical school loans. They did a one-year stint at the PHS hospital and then left. The arrangement sucked for people with chronic physical health problems. It was worse for those with mental and behavioral health issues. People who are in need of long-term care aren’t going to receive effective treatment when they have to deal with a different clinician or counselor every ten minutes. The medical and mental health professionals have to offer long-term, consistent, secure, reliable care; they have to stick around for much longer than a year.

That so much needs to change after all this time is a travesty and is immoral. Our treatment of these people is a blight on our country. We have to do better. We owe it to these people to do better.

And unfortunately, we aren’t going to see any changes under this administration. They don’t seem to care about the lives of the average American … I’m sure Native Americans are more than invisible to them. With all the cuts to federal programs, I can’t even imagine what life will be like on the reservation, but it’s not going to be anything good.

I have seriously debated with myself about whether to use Al's name when I write about his death. This was such a horrible, personal, tragic and sad experience. I have tried as much as possible not to get into people's personal lives. That's really hard to do when you are describing a way of life ... but I have been trying. I owe that to all the people who shared so much of their lives with us ... and who we really came to care for and love. I had so many conversations with Ray Gone about all of this. He was an amazing human being. He was so smart and knew so much about his people ... and loved his people. Ray was like a father to me ... and reminded me so much of my own father. He served as a moral compass for me while I did so much of my work. And I thought about him often as I was writing my dissertation. And I think about him … and many others while I write these blogs.

Christianity has a strong focus on the afterlife. Judaism has a strong focus on this life. While I personally conjure up all sorts of fantastical possibilities, our formal scriptures are entirely ambiguous about what happens when we die.

One of the most important Jewish values is Tikkun Olam - to heal the world. Our work is here and to make this world a better place. We don't know what the afterlife is going to be. So, when a person dies, we say, may their memory be a blessing. We say this because so long as we are alive and have our memories, we keep our loved ones alive. We remember. Four times a year, we have a special service called the Yahrzeit when we say special prayers for those we have loved and lost. Yahrzeit means remembrance.

It is in that context that I finally decided to use Al’s name. Because I want to keep his memory alive. He should be remembered.  

5-22-77  

Father and Bill told me that Al Chandler committed suicide last night. He was 16 years old. He and Wade were close friends. He was a pall bearer at Wade’s funeral. He shot himself in his uncle’s old house. Eddy died about a month ago, so the house was vacant. He was seen at the high school dance at 1:00 last night. That was the last time he was seen. He lived with his grandmother, Elizabeth – next to Camie. She had adopted him. After they found him, the family came right away to the mission. Father spent most of the day and evening at Camie’s house with the family. Al Chandler, his father, came down from Glasgow.

Susie and I sat next to Bob and Estelle Mount at the Gros Ventre Treaty Committee Meeting. I was talking to Estelle. She said, “Isn’t it horrible about that boy (Al Chandler). It’s just awful about that boy.”

5-23-77  

Camie came up to the mission at 11:00 to make arrangements with Father for the wake and funeral for Al. The wake will be Tuesday night at 8:00 and the funeral will be on Wednesday at 11:00. I shook Camie’s hand and told her I was sorry. She was crying. Camie came up to the cemetery tonight. All her kids were out of school.

Mike came up to the trailer and we were talking about Al. The FBI came in on the case and they were investigating. He didn’t say anything to anyone, and he didn’t leave a note.

All of Hays was talking about it.

Socksy came into the kitchen reading a letter. She gave it to me to read. She said she thought it was really nice that the kids did this. It was well thought out and was meaningful. It was a bulletin announcing the graduation information from the public school. On the cover were two poems written by the high school kids in memory of Al. They were good poems and demonstrated a lot of thought and emotion.

5-23-77

I was talking to Mary in the kitchen. She said that it was just terrible about Al. “He was only 16 years old. His mother was a Seminole. I don’t know why he did it. He had two mothers – his mother and stepmother but he was living with his grandmother. No one will ever know why.”

At about 10:30 the backhoe was brought into the mission to dig Al’s grave in the cemetery. Father rode up there about 15 minutes later to make sure that they were digging the grave in the right place.

5-24-77

I was visiting with Ray at this house. He said that it was too bad that Eddy’s house had to be burned down. “The kids have been using the house to drink in and smoke dope. After Al, they decided to burn it down. Father said that he wanted them to burn down all of the vacant homes so the kids couldn’t go into them to drink and smoke dope. The homes are really old, and no one will live in them.”

At 1:45 I looked out the window of the trailer and saw thick black smoke rising up over the hill near Jim and Beatrice’s. It was Eddy’s old house. Virgil and his crew were burning it down.

At 2:15, Susie and I went over to the wake (in the new gym) to take over the cakes that she made for the feed after the funeral. When we walked into the room, there were only about seven adults and about ten high school kids. Al Chandler and Gordon were in the gym. The twins were there – they were going to be pall bearers. Letty, Socksy, Camie and Hazel were in the kitchen talking. The rooms were filled with smoke. People were drinking coffee. When we left at 3:00, we told Camie that we had a bed made up for her to come over for a couple of hours and get some sleep. Others in the room encouraged her to come over to sleep for a while. She never made it over.

Tonight was the wake for Al Chandler in the new Mission Gym. It began with a rosary said by Father Retzel at 7:00. Only close friends and family and the sisters were present at this rosary. The guests started to arrive at 7:45. The coffin was placed against the eastern wall of the gym under the buffalo robe. The coffin was closed. It was covered by a Pendleton blanket. On top were placed several articles, two eagle feathers, a large floral arrangement at the foot of the coffin and a picture of Al when he was 9 or 10 years old. The picture was standing and was framed. On the other side of the coffin were benches covered with flower arrangements. The flowers were ordered from either Chinook or Havre and were picked up by people who had made the orders. They don't deliver. Or they can be picked up at Don's Pharmacy in Harlem. At the foot of the steps was the table with the guest book which people signed as they entered the gym, and also a box of cards which announced the rosary, funeral mass and pallbearers. People picked up one of these cards when they signed the book. A funeral home arranges all these matters. Camie, Richard and occasional visitors sat in front next to the kitchen. Socksy sat in the first row of chairs in front of the coffin. There were rows of chairs facing the coffin. These were filled in. The bleachers were also filled. Most of Hays was there, a lot of kids from high school. Al’s friends and some relatives from out of town. The gym was packed.

At 8:00 Father stood up and began the rosary. He explained that he was holding Socksy’s rosary and he passed it around the seats. While he said each prayer, the rosary was returned to Socksy. 

When the rosary was over. People started walking around and talking. People came in all night. When they entered, they signed the book and went up to Camie, Socksy and Al to shake their hands and to say they were sorry. When Susie and I shook Camie's hand, Camie held Susie's hand for a long time and had tears in her eyes. Finally, she asked Susie to sit next to her to talk to her. She and Susie were very close, and she enjoyed Susie's company.

Many people brought food. It was in brown grocery bags, usually potted meat, bread, cookies, cakes, and rolls. Some people brought macaroni salad, fry bread and other pastry. People who brought food went directly to the kitchen before meeting with the family. When they got to the kitchen, they put the food down. Someone had a pad of paper and was keeping track of all the people who brought food. A few people brought blankets, like Bobby and Caroline. They placed the blankets behind Camie on one of the benches. I asked Camie why people brought blankets since the giveaways for deceased were done about one year after the funeral. Camie said that Socksy was going to give the blankets to the pallbearers. People will give away to the pallbearers but also to close friends and to people who have helped at the wake and funeral. 

There were more high school kids at the wake than we've seen in the past. There are usually a lot of kids that come with their parents, but not usually high school age kids. The reason is mainly because they were friends of Al’s. Most of these high school kids are planning to go to the funeral in the morning. The Hays Lodge Pole school has been cancelled in honor of Al and to allow the kids to attend the funeral at 11:00.

At the mission there were women in the kitchen all night preparing and serving food from the time of the rosary until almost all the guests had thinned out. They will serve all night. Kathleen, Laura, Mary, Marilyn, Carol, Socksy, and Margaret June we're in the kitchen fixing plates, sandwiches, cookies, potato chips. Susie helped them serve the plates. Coffee was served in pitchers. Food was served all night long, as was coffee.

Darian and Penny served Kool-Aid for about an hour. They made a game of it and we're running around having a good time. Camie yelled at her once, but no one really seemed to care, and they continued to run around screaming while they served. There were about 10 to 20 kids running around playing and visiting with older relatives. No one tried to quiet them down and they helped to keep the atmosphere light and at times started people laughing. 

At 11:00 people started to leave the gym. At 9:00 there were about 250 people there, but it thinned down by almost 2/3 by 11:00. I asked Camie if she was spending the night and she said she was going to stay in the gym all night to also help Socksy and to keep her company. Susie came into the trailer and made-up the spare bed in the living room and we told Camie to try to come in and get a couple hours sleep. She thanked us and didn't say if she would or wouldn't. She said that she hasn't had much sleep in the past couple nights, partly because her mother was having trouble sleeping and she was up keeping her company.

Susie and I had many conversations with people during the wake.

Just before the rosary began at the wake, Socksy asked me to help her. She said that she needed a hymn to be sung at the funeral. Someone gave me a hymn, but it was more for a girl. “We need one for a young boy.” I suggested that she talk to Laura, and I called her over. Laura suggested that they sing Amazing Grace and Socksy agreed that it was a good suggestion.

Camie said that she needed cakes baked for the feed after the funeral. Susie volunteered to do it. She sent Darian home with us, and we picked up two cake pans. Susie had the cakes made by early afternoon.

Darian told us that she says prayers every night before she goes to sleep and that she includes Mr. and Mrs. Siegel in her prayers every night. Thank you, Darian. We love you.

5-25-77  

I went up to Camie to talk to her during the wake in the morning of the funeral. Susie and Mike joined us. Camie was sitting in front of the kitchen counter chain smoking pall malls and drinking coffee. She said that she felt horrible that she couldn’t say anything to Al’s dad. “He came up to me while we were walking up to the cemetery. He was very sad and upset. He kept saying, ‘I don’t know. I don’t understand. Why can’t I hear. Why can’t I see.’ I didn’t know what to say to him. I wanted to say something to him to make him feel better, but I didn’t know what to say. We were never able to talk much. I’m hoping that later I can be alone with him and talk to him.” I told Camie to try not to feel so bad, that she was doing all that she could and that there was very little a person could say to someone at a time like this to make them feel better. Camie thanked me for helping her to feel better. She said that Al felt bad because of his relationship with Al and that they weren’t living together. “But that’s just the way it worked out. I guess that’s just the way it was supposed to be. I’m just glad that Al could be with me when I needed him when Wade died, and that I could be here for him now and that I can help him now.”

5-25-77  

There was a special memorial service held in the new gym for the high school in the honor of Al. There were about 100 people there. They sat in the chairs facing the coffin and the bleachers. The family sat in the same places that they sat at the wake. Most of the Hays Lodge Pole teachers were there, also the superintendent. There were also many other relatives and friends of the family. The service began at 10:00. Two boys from the high school read short speeches about Al. They talked about how quiet he was and about all that they could have done for Al, but didn’t. They were very thoughtful speeches. Most of the people cried during the service. When the speeches were over, Father got up and walked over to the microphone next to the coffin. He announced that the funeral would begin in the church at 11:00 and that the family invited everyone to the feed in the gym after the funeral service. The service ended at 10:15. Everyone remained in their seats and sat silently for about ten minutes. No one moved or talked. Then some of the women went into the kitchen and people talked softly until it was time to go over to the church.

Susie and I walked into the church at exactly 11:00. People were standing at the pews and they were singing Amazing Grace. The church was filled. We sat in the balcony. The family sat in the front pews on the right facing the altar. The pall bearers sat on the left. They were wearing black arm bands; black cloth tied around their left arms above the elbow. The coffin was in the center aisle next to the first two rows of pews. It was on a table with wheels (furnished by the funeral home, from Chinook. They do most of the Catholic funerals on the reservation). The coffin still had the Pendleton blanket covering it and had a flower arrangement at the foot of the coffin, and a cross with Jesus Christ at the head. The church was filled with about 250 people. There were two servers, wearing street clothes instead of the regular garb worn by the servers. Phillip and Greg were the servers. Father said a regular requiem mass. He used holy water on the coffin and also sweet grass and cedar incense on the coffin. When he gave his talk, he talked about Jesus’ love and also his promise of eternal life. He mentioned that people didn’t do as much as they should have for Al, and he was at the head of the line. When the service was over, the funeral attendant walked up to the coffin and instructed the pall bearers to move to either side of the coffin and to move it down the aisle. After the coffin was moved out of the church, the family walked out and each of the rows going toward the back of the church. During communion about a third of the people took communion.

During the service, Dion looked up and saw Susie and I in the balcony. Gordon and Edith didn’t have a sitter, so they had to bring him. When he saw us, he said very loudly, there’s Sandy and Susie. Gordon whomped him in the behind. Sorry, Dion.

When the coffin was placed in the hearse, it was driven to the cemetery. Some of the family drove up in cars, but most people walked up to the cemetery. People talked softly while they walked to the cemetery and some people smoked. When everyone got to the grave site, people stood around the open grave and the pall bearers lifted the coffin out of the hearse and carried it to the grave. It was covered by a green cover and rollers. Father then said a few prayers and then blessed the ground under the coffin by sprinkling holy water into the grave on both sides of the coffin. Then Father took the cross off the coffin and walked over to Al and handed it to him. He gave the blanket to Socksy’s aunt, then everyone started to walk back to the gym for the feed. The family got into their cars to return to the gym. Socksy sat in the car and was holding the cross to her face crying. People were crying at the cemetery before the coffin was lowered into the ground. This was the first funeral where I saw people leave before the coffin was lowered into the ground. The only ones who remained at the grave were the pall bearers, Richard and some of the high school kids. When everyone left, they used shovels and refilled the grave.

Camie said that she had wanted to clean up Wade’s grave for Al’s funeral service. Al was buried next to Wade. She said that they got the headstone up for Wade before the funeral service.

Gordon said that he was really tired. “I planned on going home last night at 11:30 but I saw a lot of people leaving and I wanted there to be some people to stay with the family during the wake, so I stayed. There were only about five people here all night. Me, Socksy, Camie, Al and a few others. I didn’t leave the wake until 8:00 this morning. I wanted to stay with Al. I didn’t want him to be alone.” Gordon was such a good man … a mensch.

Everyone returned to the new gym at 12:30 for the feed. They came directly from the cemetery. When people entered the gym, they sat either in the seats on the floor or on the bleachers. Marilyn, Susie, Kathleen, Letty, Socksy and Margaret June had fixed plates during the service at the cemetery, and they had the plates spread out over a table and on the kitchen counter. The pall bearers and family got in line first and picked up a plate. After they ate, everyone else got in line to get a plate. After, Socksy and Margaret June carried around a pot of Indian soup and served it. Then juneberry soup and coffee were carried around and served. During the feed, the family gave blankets to the pall bearers and close friends who spent the night during the wake. The feed lasted until about 2:30. Then people started to leave, and the family and close friends started to clean the gym. Before people left, they went up to the different family members and expressed their sorrow and said goodbye.

You are remembered, Al.

May your memory be a blessing.