A Drug Called Tradition

Ever since the day the Pilgrims arrived in America, there has been a riff between the Native Americans and the settlers which has caused many stereotypes to be formed. One of the most common and demeaning stereotypes is that most Native Americans are alcoholics and addicted to drugs.   The short story “A Drug Called Tradition” by Sherman Alexie tells about a group of boys having a party when they decide to leave and go to a lake to try a kind of drug.   After reading this story I think it perfectly supports the exterior view of a bunch of Native Americans drinking and doing drugs. From the very first page, Alexie illustrates this exterior view by saying, “It was the second largest party in reservation history and Thomas-Builds- the-Fire is the host. He was the host because he was the only one buying beer.” Not much farther down the page there is conversation between two characters, Victor and Junior, which says, “I hear you got some magic mushrooms.”   As the story goes on the reader is given insight about the interior view.   The boys take the hallucinogens and share their visions.   Many of their visions are about their heritage and their past.   This gives a different view than the label the rest of the world places on these people.   While on this drug one of the boys hallucinates, “My tribe dances behind me. We dance in circles growing larger and larger until we are standing on the shore, watching all the ships return to England.”   This not only illustrates the interior view of their heritage but also the longing the Native Americans have for all the settlers to leave so they can have all their land back.   As I read the story “A Drug Called Tradition,” it gave me a different view of the Native Americans.   It has taken the label I once placed on them off and made me think about their heritage and life that settlers came in and destroyed.   We not only treated them unfairly because they were a minority by number but took away everything that was familiar to them....