Alcoholism Among Native Americans Summary

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Alcohol has persistently been a problem for Native Americans. Before European colonization, Native American tribes were unaware of alcohol's effects (Beauvais 1). However, European colonists introduced distilled spirits and wine, and traders also used alcohol as a medium of trade (1). This led to the intoxication and violent drinking of indigenous people (1). Moreover, this "tradition" of heavy alcohol use was passed down through generations, contributing to the prevalence of alcoholism among the indigenous populations, as shown by numerous studies (1). Alexie’s portrayal of alcoholism among the first nations in the novel is similar to the findings of these studies. Similarities include alcohol-related family dysfunction and high alcohol-related deaths. …show more content…
In the book, it is stated that both Junior’s parents and Rowdy’s father are alcoholics (Alexie 16). Additionally, Junior also conveyed that seven or eight of the Wellpinit players had parents who abused alcohol (195). This suggests that over half of the basketball team’s players had alcoholic parents, which matches the prevalence found in studies. Similarly, one study indicated that out of 1,660 Native Americans (41% men, 59% women), 64% of men and 65% of women had parents who are alcoholics (Koss 241). Cumulatively, this suggests that well over 60% of parents are stated to be alcoholics. Furthermore, research conducted by Professor Les B. Whitbeck and his team found that out of 861 first-nation parents and caregivers, 49.6% of them abused alcohol (635). Therefore, the depiction of indigenous people having parents who abused alcohol is similar to