A Historical Perspective of the Utility of Alcohol in Amerindian Societies in the Subarctic
For a long time, alcohol has been seen as a major factor explaining the demographic and cultural decline of native populations in North America since the contact. But did alcohol really played such a disastrous role in the history of Native Peoples? Without trying to bring a definitive answer to this question and without trying to downplay the negative impact of alcohol among Native communities over time, this paper offers a more moderated view on this matter. The role played by alcohol in the history of Native Peoples is in fact more complex and only partly understood. By insisting for a long time on the negative impact of alcohol, its more positive aspects has been ignored or at least minimized. This paper brings forward three areas in which alcohol has been of a certain utility to Native Peoples of the Subarctic over time: the intercultural relations with the White population, the economic autonomy and the social cohesion.