Chapter 4

The next day he woke up early to get ready for school, again his parents were still asleep on the bed, in the clothes they wore yesterday. So, he got dressed and grabbed his back-pack and walked towards the bus stop. His friends were there as well.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" asked Richard.

"Sore, but I'll be alright, "said Jesse.

"Good, we really are worried for you," said Alvina.

"I know you are, and thank you for caring," said Jesse.

Then the bus started to come down the street, and once again, they got on the bus and headed towards the school. Back at Jesse's house, his parents finally woke up, and stumbled toward the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator to get a beer, and there was no beer. So, Jesse's father slammed the door, and told his wife, they were out.

"Honey were out of beer, let's go to white clay," said Grey Owl.

So, they both left and walked to the edge of white clay where they do serve alcohol, so they walked and went into the liquor store and bought some beers and walked out and sat down on the side walk with other drunk Indians and started drinking, laughing, staggering, laughing at other Indians falling over and stumbling. Some Indians getting arrested and spending the night in jail until sober so they can get out and get drunk again.

T.V reporters come to white clay and interview the natives on how drinking as affected their ways, and how alcohol is banned on the reservation.

"How do you think drinking alcohol has affected our people," asked the reporter.

A sober man came up to the reporter and answered her question.

"Our cultural disconnection plays a large part in alcoholism for Native Americans. The shame and abuse from historical trauma suffered by Native people, and the forced disconnection from culture and our heritage, is a perfect setup that can lead to alcohol abuse to ease the pain. Most of the United States will never understand how damaging alcohol has been for Native people. 12% of death among Native's and Alaska Natives are alcohol related. The people young and old drink because they don't want to face reality, they have low self-esteem about themselves, and most drink because they don't want to see where they live, because they all live poorly, poor housing, so they drink because they don't want to be reminded," said the elderly man.

"Well there you have it guys, I think were done here," said the reporter.

So, the reporter and her crew got back in the van and drove away. Back at the school they were all having lunch in the cafeteria,

"So, summer is around the corner, what say we all hang out this summer, and go to the park and have a picnic and just hang out," said Alvina.

"Hey, that sounds like a great idea," said Lisa.

"Yeah, we could do crazy stuff," laughed William.

"Not too crazy, because this summer I need to practice my hand drum songs with the boy's this summer, so I can sing and play with them at the pow wows," said Richard.

"That's cool, my dad was a part of that group," said Jesse.

"I know, my dad was a part of the group and he loved it, I can't wait to be a part of it," said Richard.

"I wish I was a part of it, but I'm too ashamed," said Jesse.

"To ashamed to be part of the group, look we can't help who are parents are, and what they do, but were not our parents, were us, I know seeing your parents makes you feel ashamed to be called Indian, we all fill that way, even if our parents don't drink, we look around and see other's, and go wow, they make me feel ashamed to be called Native because people think all natives are drunks, all natives are stuck in the past, but it was not their past, it was their ancestors past, half of these natives didn't live in the past, but yet they still blame the whites, they weren't even born at the time, they just hear the stories. So the stories is what makes them mad and hate the white's because they were never told the truth about whites, some whites actually fought for us not against us, they learned everything we taught them, even today the whites want to learn and get educated about us, and they were told that not all natives are drunks, or poor, but it is society telling everybody that all natives are no good, all natives are drunks, all natives have hatred, all natives are racists, but that is not true, so you really shouldn't be ashamed to be a native, we have our good points as well," said Richard Greyeyes.

"Are you sure?" asked Jesse.

"Yes, I am sure, we are natives, and we should be proud," said Richard.

"If you say so," said Jesse.

"I know so," said Richard.

The bell rang, and it was time for everybody to go back to their class. When they got to their glass everybody had to do vocabulary and a worksheet about the plants. So, they did that until it was time to go. The bell rang, and everybody got up and went out to wait for the bus to show up. As the bus arrived all the kids got on and went home.