The primary goal of this paper is to create both an understanding of the problem of suicide among Aboriginal young people in Canada & to set the stage for further developments in this area. Risk factors in native communities are discussed including physical health, mental health, & social problems. The influence of cultural disruption on Aboriginal families, spirituality, land, & language is reviewed. Other topics discussed include: the tasks of adolesence, the cross-cultural self, & the native adolescent’s search for identity. (36 refs.)