Alcohol and Stories: Diachronic and Multigenerational Perceptions of Alcohol Use and Regulation in Anicinabek
This article examines the position taken by various actors, past and present, with reference to Anicinabek alcohol consumption, between the early nineteenth century and today: fur traders, shamans, Catholic missionaries, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, agents from the Department of Indian Affairs, and Anicinabek community leaders. First, we examine the behaviour adopted by representatives of each category through the lens of historical documentation, which we then compare to the ways contemporary Anicinabek people of different generations perceive these same historical actors. We show that among both Anicinabek people and outsiders, some have encouraged alcohol consumption whereas others have tried to limit or inhibit it. We also show that contemporary perceptions of past attitudes regarding alcohol vary according to the age of the informant and his or her background.