Hi there! I’m “Ask Auntie.” I’ll take a minute to introduce myself, and then let you know how to use this page.

My name is Amanda. I’m 36 from the Zuni Pueblo in NM. Zuni is a matrilineal tribe. My mom is the first-born daughter out of eleven. I am the only girl in my family, with three brothers. My mom is full Zuni and my dad is half German/ half Bohemian.

I’ve been married for thirteen years. We have a son and a daughter.

I grew up kinda all over NM. I went to UNM for three years, until I was about 22, then my husband and I moved to Oregon, where I finished my Bachelors and Masters degrees through Oregon State University.

After grad school, my husband and I moved to Thailand for three years, where I taught Grade 1 as a Primary Years Program teacher at an International Baccalaureate School in Chiang Mai. We then moved back to Oregon, so my husband could finish his graduate degree in School Psychology. This is when I first started to work for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, joined We R Native and started Ask Auntie.

I feel so honored to have your trust in answering the questions you submit. I take each question seriously and do my best with the team I work with at the Board to provide you with thoughtful, quality, accurate information.

My name is Paige Smith, I am Paiute and Modoc from Warm Springs, Oregon. Currently I am the Youth Engagement and Response Circles Project Coordinator at Northwest Portland Area Indian Health board.

My experience and knowledge come from being both a tribal member and someone who has worked with Native communities professionally for 11 years. For the last 7 years, I have worked with the 9 tribes of Oregon in both Suicide and Alcohol/Drug Prevention. During these years I obtained my certificate to be a Prevention Specialist (CPS), and finishing my Certified Alcohol and Drug Counseling level 1 (CADC1).

Working for the state as at Native American Services Coordinator for the 10 juvenile facilities across the state instilled in me vision and foresight to further my work and programmatic development. During my length of my career I’ve started training around suicide prevention (ASIST, QPR) cross culture communication, traditional Native games and Historical Trauma.

Type in a question. After you type in your question, you’ll see related questions I’ve answered in the past. You can check these out, as they may answer your question immediately. However, if you feel that none of these get to what you’re asking, I’ll give it some thought and write up an answer. We ask you whether you’d like to be notified when the answer is posted online, and if so, you can provide me with your contact info. Don’t worry though, your question will remain confidential. We won’t share your contact info with anyone… it’s private and you should hear back within a couple of weeks.

Please note this line is NOT monitored 24/7, so if you need immediate help, text “NATIVE” to 741741 for free 24/7 support or call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

New “Auntie” questions will get posted to our WRN Facebook page and here on this website (follow the link below) every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes we get a lot of questions and sometimes we don’t. On those times when we have a lot of submissions, it’s helpful to have your contact info so we can at least text or email you that your question is ready.

The answer to your question will be posted within a couple of weeks. We don’t monitor the site 24/7, so if you need immediate help, text “NATIVE” to 741741 for free 24/7 support or call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

We care about how you are doing. If you need immediate help, text “NATIVE” to 741741 for free 24/7 support or call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 anytime, day or night, or chat with a real person at Lifeline Crisis Chat.