I recall reading that at the present time alcoholism is a notable social problem in some reservations. I also recall reading that the local law enforcement is run by the tribe, and they can run it whichever way they want - including prohibiting importation of alcohol (perhaps even consumption?). Well, so how well did these local “wars on alcohol” fare in the recent, postwar era? Was it always a lost cause? Or is this a recent problem that was dealt adequately by sterner social sanctions and law enforcement in the past, sort of like the increase in various forms of social dysfunction among whites since the 1960s?
As a Native American and a sociologist, I have a little experience and data in this area, and I’ve published a few things. The problem is not necessarily alcoholism, although the phenomenon does exist, of course, and perhaps we are over represented. The more problematic issue is the high risk behavior associated with heavy episodic drinking (or binge drinking). An excellent book on this subject is “Fighting Firewater Fictions” by Thatcher. His book primarily addresses First Nations of Canada, but the information is applicable to reservation life south of the border as well. He also addresses the movement away from the medical model of treatment and why AA and other related programs are not as successful as one might imagine. The problem with law and availability is that there are communities set up on the fringes of reservations that thrive on alcohol sales. The movie SKINS give an apt depiction. Historically it has been federal law, not tribal law that prohibited the sale of alcohol on the reservation.
sites for SKINS and Thatcher’s book
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284494/
http://http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Firewater-Fictions-Disease-Alcoholism/dp/0802086470
Slightly off topic, but somewhat related… the issue on some Native American reservations is money and boredom. For instance, about 10 years ago I filmed a project in the Everglades on Miccosukee land, and had a long chat with their mayor. We were filming in an abandoned general store, which was by then completely decrepit. No windows, doors. No roof. Owner of the property only wanted a case of beer from us for permission to shoot there.
The mayor explained that the tribal casino earned a lot of money, and the money was split between all the tribal residents. So none of them had to work for a living. That’s why the general store was abandoned. In fact, the vast majority of the employees at the casino were Cubans (it’s right near Miami) because so few of the tribe members had any interest in working there when they didn’t need any additional income.
He said the lack of activity meant folks drank a lot more. Completely anecdotal, obviously, but certainly made me stop and think.
Wait…you are saying they drink too much because they are too rich?
Negative. I said their Mayor made the connection between idleness and drinking in his jurisdiction. It wasn’t the money, it was the lack of work.
Yes. I spent some time in Pine Ridge, in South Dakota, some years back. There was a “town” called White Clay, on the edge of the reservation, just over the Nebraska border, that consisted, as far as I could tell, of liquor stores. Horrible place. People from Pine Ridge would walk there, drink as much as they could, and pass out on the way back to their homes. Obviously a huge problem in the winter.
do the above anecdotes suggest that basically in many communities there is no real law enforcement, communal or any other sort of response? Can they at least assemble a council of elders and bash the people who do things like that?
Bash people for doing what?
for binge drinking? for passing out in the street?
What do you mean the lack of work?
Most people work in order to get money. If you already have money and don’t work, that’s called being lazy, because there is nothing constraining you.
If you are rich already, you can learn, teach, volunteer, build something, self-educate, garden, document the history of your people, take up photography or basketweaving…well; you get the idea. You can do whatever you want because you have money and can purchase the resources to do whatever you want to do.
Being rich is absolutely no excuse for being a drunkard. Period.
Good grief. Bottom line is Native Americans are losers. Shiite, even African Americans are more accomplished at this point. Screw you PC !@#$%^&. Or is the Magical White Man still holding ye back??? Don’t ban me for freethinking, please.
boilercake, you should read what Thatcher has to say, and then come back to the discussion.
When you say bash you don’t mean that literally, do you?
[Moderator Warning]
This kind of general attack on an entire ethnic group violates Rule Number One on this site, that is, don’t be a jerk. Do this again, and you will find yourself banned - and not for “freethinking,” either.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I think my spouse, who is more than half Native American, college educated, and quite successful by many measures would disagree with you about the “losers” part. Of course, his forebearers escaped the reservation system several generations ago and assimilated somewhat into the larger, mainstream culture which might have a LOT to do with his relative success and prosperity compared to some other members of his ethnic group.
An ethnic group that was conquered, displaced, and systematically deprived of their freedom, language, opportunity, and lands, and were displaced hundreds of miles from their homes to a completely different environment, and harshly discriminated against for several centuries - is it really a surprise that they continue to have problems?
What*** is*** a surprise is that any at all have managed to preserve some of that original culture and are now presenting it in a way that those of us from very different cultures can start to understand. Well, those of use willing to try. I spent a month in the US late last year on a research trip looking into American Indian culture, in particular, the representation of the natural sciences.
I gather there are problems with alcohol in the US, similar to those our Australian Aboriginal cultures are struggling with. But I also see signs in both countries of increased mutual respect and learning. And before any jerks accuse me of just being politically correct - my research is to do with the way the natural sciences are stored in oral tradition. Cold, hard pragmatics. New species, plants and animals, behavior and properties, are being identified by our peak scientific bodies by working with our indigenous cultures. My research on the way in which practical knowledge is actually stored - masses of it - when you have no writing, leads me to a new respect, even if I am a long way from fully understanding all the amazing mnemonic methods.
Do you see whites do that? Blacks? Asians (choose-your-definition)? Why do you think Native Americans ought to, when your own people don’t do it?
There is a whole issue of personal and grupal responsibility, but “beating people up” is currently not considered an appropriate way to teach responsibility.
who said anything about beating people up? How about calling the offender before a council of elders and, in the presence of all his (and especially her, if that’s the case) relatives and neighbors explain how bad it is what they are doing for the offender personally, for the family and for the tribe as a whole?
American white culture does not contain drastic measures to combat alcoholism because it does not seem to be a major issue for whites (presumably because whites metabolize alcohol better). By contrast, for instance, the white culture does seem to contain some pretty drastic responses to the use of some other recreational drugs that they care more about. A more related example is the anti-alcohol legislation in Finland - an example of law enforcement rather than communal response to a similar social problem.
Social control does not work in the same way in the Indian community as it does in the dominant world.
Another point was made previously about the Miccosukee in Florida and wealth. The Miccosukee do not experience the same degree of alcohol misuse and binge drinking as do some other groups. Further, they are not universally wealthy, there are still significant pockets of poverty, but as rule they are better off than many other groups. In the case of the Lakota at Rose Bud and Pine Ridge, poverty is at a devastating level, as is alcohol misuse and binge drinking. I would not suggest that poverty is a cause of the trouble, but it does contribute I am sure.
Regarding laziness, may I just respond that acculturation has nothing to do with whether one is lazy or not. Some are and some are industrious, it is contingent on the individual as it is in any other society. Perhaps our definition of laziness is different form the dominant. In any event, to suggest that a whole group of people is lazy, or industrious…or superior to another is absurd. It is clear, most times, when one claims superiority for their own, they are walking examples disproving their assertions.
And, thanks, Colibri. Yeah, I know…just doing your job. I just hear that stuff so much, it is nice to not be the one to engage the speaker. You may have saved me a banning.
Again, let me recommend Thatcher’s work. While not an Indian himself, he is well received and trusted and includes the Indian perspective. This is not usually the case as most social scientists presume to speak for us or to us, not with us.
Thanks,
Hawk
You do realize that some Native American tribes number in the hundreds of thousands, yes? It’s not like it’s small town of only a couple hundred people (although there probably are tribes that small as well). Some Native nations are well organized, with elected governments, their own laws, and their own court systems. Other tribes are small, disorganized, and rife with corruption. Some tribes also have programs to combat alcohol abuse. It’s misleading to say “the Native Americans are all…” because they are such a diverse collection of different groups.
But even when a tribe votes their territory dry and funds programs to help alcoholics they can’t stop bordering communities from subverting their efforts by providing cheap and plentiful booze. And let’s not forget that in past centuries plenty of whites delibrately encouraged the natives to drink because alcoholics were more easily taken advantage of, and less able to resist white incursions.