Talk:Alcohol and Native Americans/GA1

GA Review
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Reviewer: Whiteguru (talk · contribs) 01:52, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

Starts the Good Article Review. The review will follow the same sections of the article. -- Whiteguru (talk) 01:52, 17 October 2020 (UTC) 

Lead

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) An unusually strong lead that hits the reader with facts, facts, and more facts. Clearly, vis-a-vis the general population, there is a problem.
 * 3) Low self-esteem and transgenerational trauma are highly indicative of resistance to treatment; and symptomatic.
 * 4) Sources in the lead show the failures of regulation from afar and illustrate local prohibition and its outcomes.

History
 This is a review in progress; it is incomplete. -- Whiteguru (talk) 08:03, 17 October 2020 (UTC)
 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) The spiritual purposes for drinks fermented from roots and seeds are well documented.
 * 3) (the) old concepts of dreaming, communion with the spirit world...
 * 4) Reference is made to 40 different kinds of Mayan beverages;
 * 5) Note is made of Cacao wine and the widely consumed non-alcoholic chocolate beverage
 * 6) Pulque or octli had a more ritual purpose; excess consumption was accompanied by exaggerated tales of drunken excesses;
 * 7) As in history, Alcoholic intoxication was seen as an act of transcending the boundaries of human, divine and natural forces
 * 8) History in pre-colonial North America illustrates the creation of weak corn based beverages;
 * 9) Examples are given of natives of Hawaii and the Aleuts and Uit of Kodiak Island were all observed making alcoholic drinks. A tradition of making weak or mildly alcoholic drinks for ceremonial purposes or for elders is among some tribal groups is established.
 * 10) Early colonial responses are noted: "degrading to free men" and questioned the motives of those who would offer (alcohol)"
 * 11) availability (and history) has led to an  unfortunate stereotype that has further burdened the Native communities of North America. This stereotype has perpetuated the image that all Indian people are afflicted with alcohol problems;
 * 12) An excellent reference is given:  the tribes had very little time to adapt and develop social, legal, or moral guidelines to regulate alcohol use.
 * 13) Some very sorry examples of use of Rum as trade or barter currency and its effects upon the natives are given. The earliest prohibition by Governor Landgrave Daniel are given, and its sad overthrow by the natives.
 * 14) So also, the citation of Benjamin Franklin in 1753, and the means of (extirpation) of the tribes...
 * 15) A sober observation is given re the cultural genocide in North America. A good inclusion.
 * 1) The effects of Indian removal and relocation relates examples of the effects of relocation on Indians
 * 2) The destabilisation of Native American communities is noted in the writings of Indian Agent Richard Cummins;
 * 3) The Indian Relocation Act of 1956 has contributed to a further deleterious effects of relocation to urban centres without the possiblity of return to reservation lands.
 * 4) The revised Indian Nonintercourse Act and its failures in implementation are noted;
 * 5) The Congress passed 25 U.S.C. § 177, "Act to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes... with its many amendments...
 * 6) Alcohol could still be legally purchased in white communities by Native Americans, and taken home
 * 7) By 1891 most Native Americans living in the United States were confined to Indian reservations, but enforcing the prohibition of alcohol was difficult.
 * 8) introduction of beer saloons into reservations across the west. 
 * 9) most tribes passed their own prohibition laws, but they were adopted by Indians for Indians, not imposed on them by the federal government
 * 10) Tribes decided to retain revenues that previously would go to state governments through retail sales taxes on beer, wine and liquor.

Observations on Neutrality

 * 1) One has to look at the history of interaction between traders and Native Americans and look to the damage done.
 * 2) There is a remarkably neutral point of view in narrating episodes from this whole sorry history.
 * 3) The effects of Indian removal and relocation is portrayed with indifference as example after example of devastating manipulation of natives is given.
 * 4) Legislation controlling access to alcohol was simply noted for its poor enforcement; the Indian Nointercourse act was taken up with similar indifference to the consequences of alcohol on the natives.
 * 5) The Prohibition on Indian Land receives a similar neutral point of view. A very sorry history is delated with blatant examples of what one justice told, that bad white men, knowing this, would carry on the traffic in adjoining localities.
 * 6) The problem of beer, the Heff decision, the repeal of discrimnatory legislation are all littered with examples of damage and getting around the law, all with a remarkable sense of observation of the mistakes of history.

Native American temperance activists

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) resisted the use of rum and brandy as trade items,
 * 3) It is noted that the main history temperance activists is moved to Native American temperance activists; a good decision as the works of these temperance activists is a related history that while part of this, does not directly advance the narrative work of this article.

Patterns

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) I am not altogether sure what this section seeks to achieve.
 * 3) Abuse usage is a very subjective area, and I don't see statistical reliability delivered here, where a population is retested to confirm results found.
 * 4) While is is good to include studies that refute so-claimed general trends, this also is somewhat subjective in its application of scientific method with missing test-retest of population study.
 * 5) I repeat, I am not altogether sure what this section seeks to achieve. Discussion invited.

Gender differences

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) The role of women in Lakota Sioux is noted, and the strengths of women and their roles in society - a good inclusion.
 * 3) A brilliant inclusion here: Modern therapies attempt to connect treatment to traditional rituals emphasising the individual's search for spiritual strength and guidance, such as the sun dance or vision quest.  Great stuff including the sun dance and the vision quest.
 * 4) The 2002 study paints a modern narrative of misery for women and children introduced to alcohol and the damage it inflicts in terms of abuse, relationships and pregnancy. This is a terse summary of deleterious effect on women, children and family.

Binge Drinking
This is a review in progress. It is not complete. --Whiteguru (talk) 11:01, 18 October 2020 (UTC) 
 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) differing social tolerance of aberrant behaviour when intoxicated
 * 3) The section commencing with Phillip A. May's in-depth examination gives a very good thesis-antithesis view of how different tribal groups cope and fail to cope given acculturative stress. This is a very-well summarised section.
 * 4) Psychosocial stressors play a significant role in alcohol use among Native adolescents is noted.
 * 5) binge drinking, a practice associated with child neglect, violence, and impoverishment ...observed.

Consequences of alcohol abuse

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2)  are at greater risk for alcohol-related domestic violence, rape, and assault is substantiated by many references;
 * 3) Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are 3.9 times as prevalent  is noted in many references given;
 * 4) have one of the highest rates of foetal alcohol syndrome recorded for any specific racial or ethnic subgroup in the US

Alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs

 * 1) Is it reasonably well written?
 * 2) Recovery through the Sweat lodge, the Red Road, and the Recovery Medicine Wheel is noted.
 * 3) American Indian Churches are also noted as agents for recovery;
 * 4) The work of Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse (OIASA) is inclusive.
 * 5) The Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Memorandum of Agreement is referenced;
 * 6) ihs.gov sites were down at time of review and unable to be verified;
 * 7) http://www.fnbha.org/ has a bad cert. notice and redirects to https://h-six.com/ which claims it is in maintenance mode. Wayback machine has a copy at https://web.archive.org/web/20190806232848/http://h-six.com/ which is possibly not useful.      OK, regarding the original link, see https://web.archive.org/web/20190910165815/http://www.fnbha.org/truth.php
 * 8) Reference to treatment including, inter-alia, may incorporate ceremonial activities such as the Spirit Dance, the Sun Dance and the Gourd Dance is appropriate for recovery options;
 * 9) text and context:  standard substance abuse prevention programs are less effective among Native Americans is well-referenced;

Is it is Broad in its coverage?

 * 1) Each section is presented with a neutral point of view and is well referenced;
 * 2) Given the amount of damage alcohol has done to Native American Indian lives and families, there is a extrordinary neutral telling of the story right from colonialism to failed legislative attempts through tribal governance.

Overall GA on Hold pending discussions and corrections. -- Whiteguru (talk) 06:05, 21 October 2020 (UTC)
 * 1) Works Cited: all 201 examined.
 * 2) It follows the neutral point of view policy: Yes
 * 3) Is it stable?
 * 4) Page created 7 October 2009 and has had total of 884 edits, which seems high. Upon examination of history, large slabs of text from November 2015 throught August 2019 - apparently copyright - have been deleted which somewhat accounts for the high edit stakes.
 * 5) Page has had 14,775 views in the last 60 days, so a needful reference for those involved in remedial therapy in this population.
 * 6) Top editors are Diannaa, Cmaculey, Znoisuled and Rjwilmsi. Citation bot has been on the page quite a few times, obviously fixing matters.
 * 7) It is illustrated by images : yes, plenty of images, all appropriate and well placed.
 * 1) It is illustrated by images : yes, plenty of images, all appropriate and well placed.


 * Thank you, Whiteguru for your thorough review of Alcohol and Native Americans. I have corrected faulty reference links that you pointed out, in the section Alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs and elsewhere.


 * I noted that you wondered about the purpose of introductory paragraph to the section Patterns, so I shifted some of the information in that section to Binge drinking. Honestly, I feel that these studies should be included in the article even though, as you point out, they do not include a population retest. They were national surveys with large samples and covered several relevant parameters, therefore I feel they should not be omitted.
 * Agreed, the cleanup looks a lot better. It was confusing reading beforehand.


 * I note that you consider the section Firewater myths to be a "load of bs." Do you feel that the section should therefore be deleted? Please explain why.
 * What happened here is that I went off and read some of the references on Firewater myths and nearly fell off the chair at the strong beliefs expressed about this so-called myth. I was expressing disbelief. So, I am not asking for this to be deleted.
 * I believe this satisfies the corrections you recommended for this article. Please inform me if I have forgotten anything. Again, I am grateful for your time and attention in reviewing this article. Cmacauley (talk) 16:01, 21 October 2020 (UTC)
 * It is a good article, and a very worthwhile topic too. Your medical background has stood you in very good service here. I enjoyed the review.

Overall

✅ -- Whiteguru (talk) 07:51, 22 October 2020 (UTC)