Conference

Historical Reasoning for Overuse of Alcohol on Indian Reservations

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Abstract

The Native American community in the United States is a diverse collective with a wide variety of languages, customs, and cultures. Regretfully, the rich cultures that built this country have been marginalized and decimated to the brink of oblivion. Only one percent of Americans identify as “Native American,” bringing inherent trauma in this evaporation of identity. Of this one percent, most reside on government-created reservations, sovereign entities that are not subject to state or federal laws, where leadership is often weak or limited. A frequent problem addressed on reservations is overuse of alcohol. This session will explore the maligned history of American Indians with colonialism and the current legal structure of reservations that have suffered from alcohol abuse.