Porcupines Tackle Red Ribbon Run

At 5:00 in the morning on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 16 Nashua High School Students met in the Bergie's parking lot to take part in the 30th Annual Red Ribbon Run. There, tribal members from Poplar smudged and prayed over the participants and gave them half of a sacred hoop to carry eastward, where it could be completed with sections from other participating teams.

Then, the cold students began to run. The group streamed along the highway with a school bus and a police escort. Runners wore bright green shirts and reflectors to protect them in the dark.

In Culbertson, 89 miles to the east, their team also gathered. They received their own half of the wooden hoop and ran west. Both halves must be continuously moving toward its mate. When a team gets to the next town, the lead runner must hand off their half of the hoop without stopping or slowing to a walk. Teams from Frazer, Wolf Point, and Brockton all participated. This all-day event brought the east and west together – literally.

Around midday the teams met in Poplar for chili and fry bread. There, they witnessed the ceremonial joining of the hoops and discussed the importance of sobriety.

The lead runner, accompanied by a flashing police car, carried the hoop. Freshman Gunner Green and junior Dalton Kautz shared the hoop equally, though Dylan Sanner (eighth grade) had the honor of doing a running handoff to Frazer's Wyatt Miller.

Also running for Frazer were Kyrsten Miller, Shaedel Adams and Aliyah Beston.

Nashua freshman Kelsey Long, whose mother, Teri Long, was the first to tie red ribbons on the crosses along the highway, says to future runners, "If you're going to do it, better be ready for a lot of running."

"Get enough sleep and wear warm clothes," added Gunner Greene, who ran eight miles that day.

Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country. Students from Nashua, Frasier, Wolf Point, Poplar, Brockton and Culbertson participated in this year's event, which was organized by Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center in Poplar.