Santana
In memory of Santana Marie Janis, 2003-2015.
Her friends remembered her full of laughter, a positive girl with a love for horses, basketball, and her friends. When I met Santana, during a summer math camp put on by her Grandfather, she was the playful yet shy. During a ceremony, Tapa Wankaye Yapi, Santana caught the ball from the North, fully embracing her monkier Waniyetu Wakan Mani Wi "Woman Who Walks With Spirit of the North."
On February 4, 2015, Santana hung her self. The death of the pre-teen rocked the reservation, her friends, and her family. This story is an attempt to show what Santana left behind, and how those who loved her are learning to cope.