Rena Effendi

Photographer

refendi.com

Spirit Lake

Young boy playing in the dried ...highest in America. August 2014

Young boy playing in the dried up bushes along the shore of Spirit Lake. Located in an isolated and economically languishing area of North Dakota, Spirit Lake is a Sioux Indian reservation home to some 2,500 inhabitants. The community members are struggling with poverty, high unemployment rate, staggering at 50%, endemic alcoholism and meth epidemic. Inordinate alcohol consumption, soaring meth addiction rates, depression and neglect lead to abuse, death from overdose or accidents, and finally suicide with rates among the highest in America. August 2014

Children playing in a truck in ...Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Children playing in a truck in Fort Totten, Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Kara Shaw, 19 years old, posing... North Dakota, USA. April, 2013

Kara Shaw, 19 years old, posing for her prom picture with her daughter Lillian Shaw, 4 years old, at the prom night in Four Winds high school. Teen pregancies are common on Spirit Lake. Fort Totten, Spirit Lake Reservation, North Dakota, USA. April, 2013

Myrna and her boyfriend Richard...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Myrna and her boyfriend Richard at their friend's home. Myrna lost her own home 10 years ago to a fire accident and has been homeless ever since, staying at friends and family homes on the reservation. St. Michaels, Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Myrna and Richard in St. Michae...Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Myrna and Richard in St. Michaels. Richard is currently serving a prison term for driving under the influence of alcohol and running over a toddler in a car accident, which resulted in the child's death. Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Dominique Brien and her sister ...Forks, North Dakota. April 2013

Dominique Brien and her sister Tia are practicing for the POW WOW dance in Grand Forks, North Dakota. April 2013

Shawncina in a corn field. Both...ake. North Dakota. August, 2014

Shawncina in a corn field. Both of Shawncina's parents have passed away due to alcohol related illnesses. Crow HIll, Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August, 2014

Swamps around the Spirit Lake r...tion. North Dakota. August 2014

Swamps around the Spirit Lake reservation. North Dakota. August 2014

Felicia Owlboy, age 19, at her ...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Felicia Owlboy, age 19, at her aunt Jada's home in St. Michaels. The tattoo on her arm is dedicated to her father who hung himself when Felicia was 15 years old. She found her father in the basement and cut the ropes. In 2020 Felicia passed away after struggling with depression and substance abuse for years. Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Dasan Cavanaugh, age 10, has no...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Dasan Cavanaugh, age 10, has not cut his hair since he was born. St. Michaels, Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Broken discarded car near a hom...ation. North Dakota, April 2013

Broken discarded car near a home in St. Michaels, Spirit Lake Reservation. North Dakota, April 2013

Children playground in Fort Tot...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Children playground in Fort Totten ghetto. Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Shauncina Lovejoy, age 12 huggi...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Shauncina Lovejoy, age 12 hugging her aunt Jada Longie 39 y.o. near the Crow Hill Sun Dance grounds. "I can take you in, my girl..." Jada says to Shauncina. Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Anna's deer heads. Crow...tion, North Dakota. April, 2013

Anna's deer heads. Crow Hill, Spirit Lake Reservation, North Dakota. April, 2013

Jada burning sweet grass to &am...Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Jada burning sweet grass to ‘sage’ the kids and cast away evil spirits. In shortage of support services for victimes of abuse, local community members use traditional spiritual practicies to overcome trauma. St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Jada's friend and flat ...Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Jada's friend and flat mate Sacheene Thompson, a mother of three. Raped by a family member at age 11, she was told not to report it. The perpetrator was never arrested and the incident was "hushed". At some point Sacheene even had to face her offender everyday at work. "We would have meetings where the employees had to sit together. Instead of sitting on this side, he would sit right across from me and stare at me. And that would just make me want to puke. Like all the therapy that i went through as a teenager into adulthood it was all thrown out the window in five minutes". St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Sacheen with her three daughter...Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Sacheen with her three daughters. St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Sacheen and her boyfriend Rob o...wns in Spirit Lake. August 2018

Sacheen and her boyfriend Rob outside their home in St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. They live on what the community members call the "Meth Lane" due to widespread methamphetamine use on their street in St. Michaels, as well as other towns in Spirit Lake. August 2018

Broken TV set thrown out to the... Lake, North Dakota. April 2013

Broken TV set thrown out to the front yard of a home in Fort Totten "Ghetto". Fort Totten, Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April 2013

Taylor Anderson, age 8, watchin...Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Taylor Anderson, age 8, watching TV with her mother Casey Lovejoy, 33, at her aunt's home in St. Michaels. Spirit Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Devil's Lake surroundin... Lake. North Dakota. April 2013

Devil's Lake surrounding the Spirit Lake Reservation, frozen six month out of the year. Spirit Lake. North Dakota. April 2013

Jordyn braids her mother Jayda&...haels. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Jordyn braids her mother Jayda's hair in the morning at grandpa Frank's home in St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Kiera 12 y.o. daughter of Sache...haels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Kiera 12 y.o. daughter of Sacheen Thompson. St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Many homes in Spirit Lake are s...ts. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Many homes in Spirit Lake are subject for demolition due to disrepair and people unable to keep up with the maintenance costs while in 2017 alone there were 167 registered homeless families in a community of little over 2000 residents. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Sun Dance dress. St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND. August 2018

Boy dressed in his eagle wings ...s. Spirit Lake. ND. August 2018

Boy dressed in his eagle wings Pow Wow dancer outfit. St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND. August 2018

Brennan at home in his room sur...haels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Brennan at home in his room surrounded by the posters of his favorite movies and videogames. "It feels sometimes enclosed. Especially with tradition or race, people seem to have a negative outlook of native americans. The ugliest word is "savage", but because of our history and struggle for survival, people made bad choices in life and it makes the best of us look bad, it generalizes us. Tradition holds us back sometimes. Our culture is beautiful, but it sometimes keeps us from evolving. Sometimes we have to do things in the 'old ways' and stick around family, but family can hold you back too. Some people feel like they can't do much around here. You never see much about native americans in the media, unless it's controversial. Because we don't see our people repesented like everyone else, it makes us feel that we can't be great too. In this age its all about the internet and social media, you want to be 'that' person. But we don't see 'us' there. People lump us into cultural stereotypes but there are different people, different languages, we don't all just run around with bow and arrow and sit around in tippees. We need to stop holding ourselves back and go beyond of where we are. We were open to them, but they gave us diseases, we were forced to learn their tongues, we were forced to get our haircuts and forced to leave our beliefs and culture behind and then left to rot on reservations. All that bitterness got passed on to the next generations. Before we were peaceful and honorable, we still have our honor, but we are very bitter. I want people to see us as very much part of the society. We just want to be just like everybody else." St. Michaels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Felicia shows her tatoos, one i...rs. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Felicia shows her tatoos, one is dedicated to her girlfriend C who died in a car crash. She had meth in her car and was running from police when the accident took place. The tatoo on Felicia's right shoulder is dedicated to her father who committed suicide by hanging, which she had witnessed at age 14. St. Michaels. In 2020 Felicia passed away after struggling with depression and substance abuse for years. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Darian Charboneau 22 y.o. and h...5. Spirit Lake, ND. August 2018

Darian Charboneau 22 y.o. and her fiancee in the fields in front of their home. Darian works as a Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the Tribal Council in Spirit Lake. North Dakota state has the highest suicide rate in America and Native American suicide rates are 1.5 higher than the national average. Darian's mother Robin Poor Bear, who struggled with depression passed away in 2015. Spirit Lake, ND. August 2018

Jason waking up in his room at ... home. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Jason waking up in his room at Jayda's home. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Harley and Hayden attend their ... team. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Harley and Hayden attend their brother Hunter Lovejoy's grave. Hunter passed away by hanging himself when he was thirteen years old. The brothers visit his grave frequently, the cross is adorned with his baseball cap and the name of his favorite basketball team. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Harley Lovejoy, age 15 is in Ja... St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND.

Harley Lovejoy, age 15 is in Jayda's custody since his brother Hunter's suicide. Harley has been frequently found sniffing gasoline in the woods of St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND.

St. Michaels "meth lan...th. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

St. Michaels "meth lane" a street nicknamed for its reputation for the widespread use of meth. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Harley Lovejoy, age 15 is in Jayda's custody since his brother Hunter's suicide. Harley has been frequently found sniffing gasoline in the woods of St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND.

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Thumbnail of Young boy playing in the dried u_ highest in America. August 2014

Thumbnail of Children playing in a truck in F_ Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Kara Shaw, 19 years old, posing _, North Dakota, USA. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Myrna and her boyfriend Richard _ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Myrna and Richard in St. Michael_ Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Dominique Brien and her sister T_ Forks, North Dakota. April 2013

Thumbnail of Shawncina in a corn field. Both _Lake. North Dakota. August, 2014

Thumbnail of Swamps around the Spirit Lake re_ation. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Felicia Owlboy, age 19, at her a_ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Dasan Cavanaugh, age 10, has not_ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Broken discarded car near a home_vation. North Dakota, April 2013

Thumbnail of Children playground in Fort Tott_ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Shauncina Lovejoy, age 12 huggin_ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Anna's deer heads. Crow _ation, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Jada burning sweet grass to &_ Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Jada's friend and flat m_ Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Sacheen with her three daughters_ Lake. North Dakota. August 2014

Thumbnail of Sacheen and her boyfriend Rob ou_owns in Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Broken TV set thrown out to the _t Lake, North Dakota. April 2013

Thumbnail of Taylor Anderson, age 8, watching_ Lake, North Dakota. April, 2013

Thumbnail of Devil's Lake surrounding_t Lake. North Dakota. April 2013

Thumbnail of Jordyn braids her mother Jayda&a_chaels. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Kiera 12 y.o. daughter of Sachee_chaels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Many homes in Spirit Lake are su_nts. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Thumbnail of Sun Dance dress. St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND. August 2018

Thumbnail of Boy dressed in his eagle wings P_ls. Spirit Lake. ND. August 2018

Thumbnail of Brennan at home in his room surr_chaels, Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Felicia shows her tatoos, one is_ars. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Thumbnail of St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Darian Charboneau 22 y.o. and he_15. Spirit Lake, ND. August 2018

Thumbnail of Jason waking up in his room at J_s home. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Harley and Hayden attend their b_l team. Spirit Lake. August 2018

Thumbnail of Harley Lovejoy, age 15 is in Jay_f St. Michaels. Spirit Lake. ND.

Thumbnail of St. Michaels "meth lane_eth. Spirit Lake ND. August 2018

Private Project

Spirit Lake

Copyright Rena Effendi 2025

Updated Jan 2021

Topics Abuse, Children, Community, Crime, Discrimination, Documentary, Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse, Editorial, Family, Gender, Hope, Human Rights, Isolation, Love, Media, Mental Illness, Minority, Motherhood, Oppression, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Poverty, Rape, Relationships, Spirituality, Youth

Rena Effendi

Apr 15, 2014 - Jan 5, 2016

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