In the first part of Chapter 16, we learned that nearly 90% of Native American deaths were disease-related deaths caused by the Europeans. Similar to their lack of resistance to disease during the Westward Expansion, Native Americans were very unfamiliar with alcohol.
Pacific Standard put out an article, "What's Behind the Myth of Native American Alcoholism?" which brings the reader's attention to the real truth about the consumption of alcohol with regards to Native Americans. Authors, Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker discuss that Native Americans were first introduced to alcohol by the Europeans who would use it as an "instrument of trade and diplomacy." Both authors explain that Europeans typically always used alcohol as a bargaining chip. They briefly touch on the new emerging research that suggests that genetics is the answer to the unexplained alcoholism among Native Americans.
A professor from the
Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Ting-Kai Li, is currently doing research on alcohol. Dr. Li says that alcoholism is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors. He is discovered that there are two genes that prevent predisposition to alcoholism which protect against heavy drinking. He is research has shown that these genes are typically prevalent among Asians predominantly Chinese and Japanese and less in Koreans and Malayo-Polynesian groups. Although there are two genes, the particularly effective gene is the mutation of the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme which plays a major role in metabolizing alcohol. He describes that presence or absence of the mutation drastically affects drinking behaviors. His research also shows that Native Americans typically do not possess these genes in their DNA supporting the high alcoholism rates among Native Americans. As a result he concludes that their ancestors are therefore traced back to central Asia rather than countries like China or Japan. Further into the article published my Hal Kibbey, he explains that alcohol is metabolized by the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme which converts acetaldehyde to acetate. The slow production of acetaldehyde produces unpleasant physiological reactions at extremely low concentrations. Rapid increase of blood flow to skin, face, neck and chest, rapid heartbeat, headache, nausea, and extreme drowsiness are all effects of this slow production of acetate from acetaldehyde. Li's research also shows that there
is an alcohol deterrent drug called disulfiram which acts like the inactive mutation found in certain Asian groups. This drug creates the same effect on someone who does have the mutated gene in their DNA by inactivating the normal gene creating an increase in blood flow and unpleasant physiological behaviors. Li has also done alcohol research on rats further answering our questions about alcohol in general and in relation to Native Americans.
Indian Life magazine talks about the "Effects of alcohol abuse on American Indians." Shirley M. Frisbee, the author, writes that alcohol is the most commonly abused drug. Frisbee describes that it is more beneficial in understanding the reasons behind certain ethnic group alcoholism rates by studying drinking and behavioral developments due to their cultural context. She found that it is used most prevalently among American Indian men than women. And more complexly, each American Indian tribe has their own experience with chemical dependency due to their different lifestyles. Although they have differing cultures, they do all experience post-traumatic stress from their assimilation into the US. She describes that alcohol is a "symbol of deeper problems," a sign of disconnect and lost sense of community. Most interestingly, she claims that American Indians frequently used alcohol to cope with low self esteem, anxiety, frustrations, powerlessness, hopelessness, and despair from oppression.
An article from
dailymail.co.uk describes the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome on children. Wills Robinson writes about the small Whiteclay Nebraska town of 14 people and 4 liquor stores. Those 4 liquor stores sold more than 4 million cans of beer in just 1 year. He explains that most of the revenue the stores received were from Native Americans who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation where alcohol is banned. When women drink during their pregnancy, the effects are drastic in their children. He describes that 1 in 4 children in Whiteclay experience fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome stunts growth, causes facial impairments and prevents mental age progression. Statistics found on the
CDC show that the lifetime cost for a child born with fetal alcohol syndrome in 2002 was $2 million.
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