Unbroken: Indigenous Peoples Today

Maya Horse, Oglala Lakota Native, 17 years old

Most young Natives that attend public schools face a far more difficult world than the one experienced by their classmates. A severe lack of Indigenous studies in classes, the unfamiliarity of Native culture by others, as well as being a part of a demographic that makes up less than 1% of the population often places them on the receiving end of many misinterpretations and stereotypes.

These pressures have caused many Native children to commit suicide, and according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, Native youths are the most likely of any demographic to attempt it.

"I don't talk about my Native heritage when I go to school because most people don't want to understand that part of me. Some people tease me and call me 'Sacajawea' and do that hand gesture and yelling [the 'war whoop'] out loud. Also once in my school cheer squad we did a prayer and I said 'Aho' [a Lakota word often said at the end of prayers] instead of 'Amen' and some of the girls laughed at me."

MayaHorsenativeAmericanphotographyJasonSinnAmericaDQDQ UDQ UniversityDQUJason SinnJason Sinn PhotographyJason Sinn photographerLakota nationLakota native americanNative American activismNative American cultureNative American peopleNative American photoNative American photographerNative American photosNative American pictureNative American picturesNative AmericansNorth AmericaNorth American native peopleNorth American nativesactivismamerican indianamerican indian quotesamerican indian rightsamerican indian storiesamerican indian womanamerican indiansbeautifulbeautiful peoplecivil rightsclothesclothingcollegecolonialismcultural portraitcultural portrait photographycultural portraiturecultureculture photographerculture photographyculture portrait photographyethnicethnic rightsethnicityfairfeathersfeatherworkfreedomgenocidehonesthonestyhumanhuman rightshumanityindianindian nationindian reservationindian tribeindiansindigenousindigenous activismindigenous collegeindigenous cultureindigenous peopleindigenous people photographyindigenous photographyindigenous portraitindigenous schoolindigenous universityinterviewinterviewsjournalismjusticelakota nativelakota peoplelearnlistenlovemodern native americansmoralmoralitynative americannative american attirenative american clothesnative american clothingnative american collegenative american dancenative american dancingnative american feathersnative american featherworknative american genocidenative american indiannative american interviewnative american interviewsnative american journalismnative american movementnative american nationnative american portraitnative american portrait photographynative american quotesnative american regalianative american reservationnative american rightsnative american schoolnative american societynative american sovereigntynative american storiesnative american tribenative american tribesnative american universitynative american wardrobenative american womannative peoplenative womanoglalaoglala lakotaoglala nativeoglala siouxphotophoto interviewphoto storyphotographerphotography interviewpicturepicturesportraitportrait photographerportrait photographyportraiturepow wowpow wow clothespow wow clothingpow wow dancepow wow dancingpow wow regaliaquotesraceregaliarespectsadschoolsovereigntystoriesstorytribaltribetruthunited statesuniversitywardrobewoman