Indian Stereotypes

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.

American Indians have been discriminated against since the Europeans came to North America. They were driven from their homes and forced to surrender their land. They tried to build an alliance with France during the Revolutionary war, but ultimately they were defeated by the English. From then on, they were referred to as “savages”. The Proclamation of 1763 tried to separate the Native American land from the American colonial land. In the end, the American Indians lost their land and were forced to occupy smaller land areas, referred to as reservations, which were given to them through treaties. In 1979, a report from America’s Compliance with Human Rights Accords stated that

However, in order to understand the culture of the Native Americans, it is important to study each group distinctly from the other. While the history of the Native Americans is beyond the scope of this paper, it suffices to note that the enduring cultural practices of the Native Americans have had an impact on the abuse of substances such as Alcohol (Moore Gay, 2010). The prevalence of alcohol among this cultural group has been influenced in two ways: by a misperception, social rules, norms and customs, and traditions that have normalized drinking among certain tribes.

Native Americans as a whole have been typecast as drunks ever since the coming of the white man’s “fire water.” TS Naimi, MD et al. reports that alcohol is responsible for 11.7% of all American Indian and Alaska Native deaths, compared to 3.3% for the U.S. general population (939). This disturbing discrepancy reinforces the age old notion of the “drunk Indian.” Generalizations aside, is there some truth to this stereotype? Are Indians more likely than other races to be drunks? Of all the races, “Native Americans have the highest prevalence (12.1%) of heavy drinking…A larger percentage of Native Americans (29.6%) also are binge drinkers” (Chartier and Caetano 153). Although some research has been done on genetic causes, little is

Native Americans have been oppressed by numerous entities including the government, businesses, and white settlers

epidemic among the Native America. Alcohol is no longer sold on any Reservation due to the

Amitabh Bachchan, he is considered as the most prejudiced actor of famous personality of the Indian industry. He is very famous among them.

I have decided to dive into the depths of the American Indians and the reasoning behind all of the poverty and the oppression of the “white man.” In doing so I came across a couple of questions that I would like to answer. A). How did the Indian Removal Act of 1830 affect Native American culture, financial status, health, and B). Identity and how is life on the reservation oppressive for the Native Americans?

From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,

Native American resistance against European assimilation dates back to the colonial period. Governmental pressures for adaptation and eradication of customs, communities, and identities through various federal policies gave Native Americans a valid reason to fight and preserve their culture. During the 1880’s, the United States government managed to confine Native Americans on poverty-stricken reservations with limited resources and supplies (Young, 1990). Although these conditions caused reservations nationwide to suffer, it produced a necessity for movements to end injustice and abuse. Tribal leaders attempted to reassert their independence and create new spiritual

Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight. The unanticipated consequence was the subsequent creation of a pan-American Indian identity

Some people disagree with the idea that the Native Americans are not solely to blame for their addiction to alcohol. When considering how a person feels about this topic, they must take into consideration the fact that it was not an issue for the Native Americans before the white settlers arrived. Their lives were much simpler, and they did not have to face this problem. Instead, they fell into deep poverty due to their inability to avoid drinking in excess. They could not keep jobs, and put an emphasis on buying liquor, rather than food. Also, the treatment that the white people reserved for the Native

     Out of almost all of the other cultures, Native Americans are the most exploited. Not only was their culture subverted and their people forced to move, but also the Native Americans still today are trying to regain their cultural identity. It was only during the late 20's that the effects of this cultural genocide became apparent. With the Meriam Report, published in 1928, the inhumane treatment of Native Americans was brought to the public eye, and this made way for the establishment of progressive day schools where Native Americans could integrate their culture. Ever since, Native Americans have struggled to regain an identity of their culture.

American Indian and Alaskan Native communities have been the victim of a long and widespread problem with alcoholism and other substance-abuse. There has been a push for new evidence of Native tribes’ historical roots with alcohol problems. In recent decades, extensive developments in comprehending the causes and solutions of these problems have been witnessed. Substance abuse

Indians are the group of people who receive a lot of stereotypes in Thailand. Ranging from public places like shopping centers, parties house, hall way, to university campus, we can notice that many Thai people try to avoid staying close to or interact with Indians. One of the stereotype Thai people have toward Indians include viewing Indians as a snake charmer, which give images of ancient and exotic group of people. There is a famous joke in Thai circles that, "If a snake and an Indian come after to attack you, you should hit the Indian first, then snake." This reflects that some Thais view Indian as more tricky and dangerous than a snake. Another reason why Thai people like to think of Indian people negatively is due to the not so good reputation of their county, India. Many still view India as a country full of poverty and chaos. Some Thai even get into thinking that Indians are from another world with different culture, and mind set, thus, are not acceptable and tend to isolate them from Thai sociality. In my own experience, there was a day when I was trying to get a cab to home, it was a long line of people waiting for a cab, and there were two passengers standing at the head of the line, one was Thai and another is an Indian person. One of the cab arrive already riding Indians passengers, but when the Thai women saw the cab was previously sat by other Indians, the Thai person refuse to sit that cab. The second passage on the line, who is an Indian woman she was