The stereotype of the inebriated Indian is one of the most persistent and destructive representations of Native Americans. As we have seen, it has been employed in a variety of ways that lead to the loss of culture, land, and sovereignty. It has been utilized to covertly and subtly promote accusations of Indian inferiority.
If you want to help an Indian to treat alcoholism then ask them to contact sunrisenativerecovery.com. The saying, which is prevalent in both popular culture and academic circles, is intricately intertwined into American social narratives and manifests itself in various ways.
For instance, the inebriated Indian guy is frequently perceived as ethically lacking due to his lack of self-control, making him a threat to the society. He may have developed alcoholism as a result of his unfortunate inability to fit in with modern society.
According to more recent theories, Indian alcoholism is inherited genetically. Despite popular belief, the fundamental assumption is that Indians are more prone to alcohol addiction than non-Native individuals.
It was not until the second part of the 20th century that studies on American Indian drinking habits started to appear. Conventional knowledge said that Native American alcohol consumption caused “immediate personal and cultural ruin,” but a groundbreaking study by MacAndrew and Edgerton in 1969 and subsequent research started to refute such ideas.
Anthropologist Nancy Oestreich Lurie postulated in 1971 research that drinking eventually evolved into a mechanism for Native Americans to affirm and justify their Indianness in the face of derogatory stereotypes like the disappearing Native American.
The misconception that American Indians are susceptible to alcoholism is untrue, just like the myth that white people are.
Even the smallest inference that Native peoples are merely more likely to drink alcohol than non-Natives imply the supremacy of the dominant white society and the consequent degradation of Native peoples. In evaluating alcohol misuse in Indian country, a wide range of complex factors must be taken into account.