Abstract
This paper provides a critique of Peter C. Mancall's book "Deadly Medicine: Indians and Alcohol in Early America". The paper calls Mancall's work an informative and contextually important book, which meets the challenge of providing a balanced historical account of the Native-American experience with alcohol. The paper maintains that Mancall's focus on a historical, rather than anthropological or scientific, view is ambitious and occasionally problematic but does provide a fair account. The paper praises his attempt not to stray into stereotypical assumptions, but rather to find out the causes and effects of the colonial alcohol trade by examining all available source material. It concludes that, rather than summarizing the arguments of those who came before him, Mancall offers a fresh account because he is working directly from primary sources and highly relevant secondary sources.

From the Paper
"Mancall's book provides a fresh viewpoint in what currently exists in the subject's literature. It is obvious that he was aware of what had already been covered, as he explains the stereotypes most common to the literature and addresses a number of the current claims and theories. Indeed, a number of the books that cover the subject of Native Americans and alcohol appear in Mancall's cited sources."

Tags:alcoholism, native, American

Abstract
This paper looks at the novel "Ceremonies," by Leslie Marmon Silko, and at the culture of the Pueblo Indians. The paper reviews the story, explaining that it is about a young half Caucasian/half Indian man returning after World War II suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and not being able to find answers in either Western or traditional Pueblo medicine.

From the Paper
"Silko's "Ceremony" is the story of a Tayo a half Caucasian, half Native American from the Laguna Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico and his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder on his return from World War II. He has survived being held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese and is suffering the physical and mental effects of this captivity and this is compounded by the added pressures of bi-culturalism tearing him between the Native American world and the white world. Throughout the novel, Silko introduces the..."

Tags:Pueblo, Indians

Abstract
An examination of the spread of diseases after Columbus (focusing on effects of smallpox), Pre-Columbian Indian health and medicine and diseases in Europe (focusing on the plague).

From the Paper
"Introduction
The 500th anniversary of the first voyage of Columbus to the New World came in 1992, and this event was an occasion for celebration in both Europe and the Americas. It was also the occasion for much bitterness and anger by revisionists who wanted to downgrade the achievement of Columbus because of a perception that his discovery of America in the long run caused more harm than good. One thing that is wrong with the revisionist view is that it holds Columbus personally responsible for all that followed his exploratory journey. In truth, the "discovery" of America was inevitable, and the subsequent events derived from the character of European culture at the time and from the personalities of the various participants, notably the Conquistadors who saw this as the occasion for looting more than..."

Abstract
This paper describes the cultural life learned within the family unit of Indian families. The paper looks at the typical family structure, relationships and living arrangements within the family and the lines of authority. The paper also describes the different types of medicine practiced in the country, how it is administered and who is typically responsible for its administration.

From the Paper
"In India, the essential themes of cultural life are learned within the family unit, and in most of the country, the basic units of society are the patrilineal family unit and wider kinship groupings, with the most widely desired being the joint family, consisting of three or four patrilineally related generations living under one roof, working, eating, and worshiping in mutually beneficial social and economic activities (Indian pp). Patrilineal joint families include men related through male lineage, and their wives and children, and while most women are expected to live with their husband's relatives, they retain bonds with their birth families (Indian pp). Clusters of relatives live near each other in order to maintain strong bonds and respond to family obligations, such as economic and emotional support, and assistance in daily work and emergencies (Family Ideals pp). Moreover, specific annual rituals help define kin groups, such as the worship of the goddess to ensure the welfare of the lineage."

Tags:consecrated, fried, breads, unmarried, daughters, spectators, life, cycle, observances, births, marriages, religious, initiations

Abstract
An in-depth look at the history and usage of medical Marijuana. The author looks at marijuana usage in different cultures for different medical conditions.

From the paper:

"Marijuana is the common name for a drug comprised of the leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant, cannabis sativa, which can be smoked or eaten for unique feelings. The active ingredient of marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is concentrated in the flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant. In the USA, the legality of marijuana, found to be medically useful by some, has been a controversial topic for decades (Nahas 1)."

Tags:cannabis, marijuana, medical, pot, tetrahydrocannabinol, thc, weed

Abstract
This paper discusses the damage done to the Native-American people as a result of the efforts by the American government to replace the Native-American culture with the dominant white culture. The paper discusses the problems associated with confinement to reservations, limited access to a culturally sensitive educational environment and the unique legal position that Native-American tribes hold. The paper also briefly looks at how the tribal gaming and casino business has helped bring economic prosperity and self-sufficiency to the the Native-American tribes.

From the Paper
"All individuals, especially during the years from adolescence to early adulthood must come to terms with one's identity and the society in which they live. The process is frequently difficult and complex. For the Native American, especially the youth, it poses greater difficulty and complexity. They often feel pulled in different directions by two different cultures, including one, which has often to fail to accept them. The impact of United States culture and the combination of acculturation, pluralism, frequent segregation has produced results such as disorganized family life, geographic isolation created by remote reservations, educational deficiencies, alcoholism, to name a few."

Tags:indian, european, priests, ministers, spiritual, leaders, medicine, man, hunter, provider

Abstract
This essay is an in-depth look at Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko's novel "Ceremony", analyzing how the central character Tayo heals his psychological disorder by returning to his Indian roots and seeking the help of a medicine man.

From the Paper
""Ceremony" opens with a dream that the main character and World War II veteran, Tayo, is having concerning a plethora of thoughts and emotions concerning different cultures he has been exposed to throughout his life. The dream involves voices from many different races, the races that Tayo has positively or negatively dealt with in his life. The voices include Spanish (a man singing a familiar love song), Japanese (angry voices of soldiers), and Laguna (the voice of his Uncle Josiah bringing him fever medicine). The mixture of these races in Tayo's mind made him mad even in his sleep. The dream represents a lifetime struggle Tayo has had with the negativity of differentiating cultures. He started life as a mixed blood child, never as well accepted as his brother Rocky and never happy with his placement. His negative experience in the war increased reasoning for Tayo to despise the whites that had taken culture from his ancestors. He was able to get along with fellow soldiers during the war, it was afterward that he realized the anti-Indian attitude expressed in his habitat. In his only exhibit of disgust towards whites after the war Tayo states that "The war was over, the uniform was gone. All of a sudden that man at the store waits on you last, makes you wait until all the white people bought what they wanted. And the white lady at the bus depot, she's real careful not to touch your hand when she counts out your change. You watch it slide across the counter and you know" You know!" (Silko 42). Not only does Tayo have to deal with his knowledge of the reality of his situation as an Indian, he has no one on the reservation to completely relate to, as he has the additional problem of being mixed blood. His conflict with this is seen when his fellow veteran and peer, Emo, angrily labels him as a "half-breed.""

Tags:American, Indian, native

Abstract
This paper offers a history of the origins and practices of Hinduism from a sympathetic, yet still scholarly perspective. It explores the philosophical underpinnings of the belief system and its development through various disciplines of yoga and the practice of ayurvedic medicine. Explication of the concept of chakras and their relevance to yoga and ayurveda is also provided. The paper also offers insight into broader Indian perspectives of Hindu beliefs in general and the caste system in particular.

From the Paper
"It is perhaps this suspension of Western societal or moral judgment that makes cross-cultural study such a challenging and difficult endeavor for students and scholars outside India. If we are to grow as a global community however, we must make every effort to bridge these intellectual and philosophical gaps in order to learn and appreciate wisdom that does not always speak in our tongue. Likewise, because not all of any one social construct or philosophy, Eastern or Western, offers nothing but truth and beauty, we must also maintain a wide range of knowledge regarding the errors of other ways, in order to best assess the efficacy of the paths that we might choose."

Tags:eastern, hindism, india, philosophy, religion

Abstract
This paper discusses several of the themes presented in Leslie Silk's novel, "Ceremony." This paper looks at the main character, Tayo's journey to self-acceptance of his roots through a journey he takes through the world of the white man and its many vices. The paper uses different examples from the story that follow the journey through to its conclusion. These include Tayo's contact with the white doctor, his feelings of invisibility and his search for spirituality. The paper continues this theme through Tayo's use of alcohol and how it serves as a symbol for both his thirst of learning about his culture and his continued abuse by the white man. It is through this journey that Tayo eventually returns to the medicine man and eventually inner peace and acceptance.

From the Paper
"Tayo insists that he is invisible in the onset of the novel. He cannot speak because an invisible man has no tongue. The white doctor forces Tayo to feel. The doctor's voice lures Tao into the doctor's sense of reality. Tayo feels that he is part of the fog and "like brittle red clay, slipping away with the wind, a little more each day" (Silko, 27). Consequently, Tayo felt hallow internally. He didn't fit in mentally and wished to ease his internal pain by physically escaping into nothingness. Tao's desire for non-existence is symbolic in the novel's theme of self-discovery."

Tags:tayo, american, native, alcohol, peace, inner, life, journey, discover, fragility, cermony, roots, connection, man, white

Abstract
The paper explores how badly the Native American population was affected by the introduction of smallpox. The paper looks at the evidence for an actual increase in the population of the Four Nations tribes during the period covered by the study. The paper asserts that what remains a fact, however, is the creative and effective manner in which these tribes coped with the smallpox epidemic.

Tags:native, smallpox, medicine