Native Americans and the Issue of Alcoholism

Following the European invasion in America, Native Americans came to endure many problems. While some have faded, others still linger on in their lives. The issue of alcohol and alcoholism is one of them. From settlers using it to deceive, to today’s issues on the reservation, alcohol has played a devastating role in the lives of Native Americans. Knowing how the issue of alcohol became such a predominate part of Native Americans lives will allow us to spawn ideas on how to end the problem. Before the colonists arrived in America, Native Americans had little to no knowledge of alcoholic beverages. (“Stereotypes of Native Americans” par. 1 ). Low alcohol beverages were produced by some tribes but this was only used for ceremonial practices (“History of Alcohol Among Native Americans” par 2). When the Europeans entered America they brought over beverages that superseded the alcohol percent of any drink produced by Indians. European colonization is what introduced alcohol to the Native Americans, but mass consumption did not occur until the seventeenth century (“Stereotypes of Native Americans” par. 2). As the fur trade began gaining momentum in the seventeenth century, so did the alcohol trade. Some European traders offered alcohol during the trading process to manipulate the Native Americans (Eshkibok par. 7). Also, skins and furs where being traded for alcohol instead of necessities the Indian people needed. This occurred because the younger Native American men, who became addicted to alcohol, had control over the trade and chose the alcohol over other items. These decisions left Indian nations in states of poverty and left them in difficulty dealing with the invading Europeans (“Stereotypes of Native Americans” par.2). As more Europeans entered American, more and more Native Americans were forced into reservations. These reservations left Indians in mass poverty, cultural shock and with no hunting grounds. Reservations with these issues are breeding

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