The Untold Story of Indigenous Child Neglect and Alcohol Abuse

The Firewater Complex

The untold story of indigenous child child neglect and alcohol abuse carefully and thoughtfully discussed by Brian Giesbrecht, a retired Manitoba provincial court judge and a prolific and talented editorial writer, is in one way not untold at all because alcohol dependence and its destructive sequellae among many indigenous people has been known about for some 300 years. What is untold is the connection alcohol abuse has had to Indian Residential School attendance, a major theme Giesbrecht thoroughly and intelligently examines.

As Giesbrecht argues:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report purports to tell a comprehensive story of the experience of Indigenous people and residential schools. But when doing so it virtually omits one of the tragic, but essential parts of that story — the tragic toll that alcohol has taken on the Indigenous community. Understanding the devastating role alcohol played on reserve life is key to grasping the scope of the parental neglect issue that resulted in so many of the residential school placements. Then, as now, the Indigenous child welfare problem — parental neglect stemming from alcohol abuse – is a problem of massive proportions.

But there exists a major stumbling block that prevents a candid discussion of this most important subject. It is the stereotype of “the drunken Indian”. This stereotype has been a part of our history since at least the 17th Century. I will refer to some of that history below. The stereotype has caused great damage to both Indigenous people – most of whom are not accurately depicted by the stereotype- and to the country’s relationship with Indigenous people, generally.

However, knowledge that the infamous stereotype is lurking in the bushes has also prevented candid discussions of a very real issue: problem drinking by a minority — but a significant minority — of the Indigenous population. Discussion of the full extent of the problem is necessary in order to move forward. No such discussion came from the TRC, despite the fact that many children were placed in residential schools as a direct result of problem drinking. The fact is that a full discussion of the devastating effects of alcohol on the Indigenous population — and specifically drinking as a way of life in many Indigenous communities — is necessary if the residential school story is to be understood. The relationship between alcohol, parental neglect and residential schools is the subject of this essay.

Jump over the paywall to read this important essay. You will be well rewarded if you do so.