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The discourse on drinking in Navajo society Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Quintero, Gilbert A., 1964- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 04:06:06 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289167 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & HoweU Infonnation Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Artwr MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THE DISCOURSE ON DRINKING IN NAVAJO SOCIETY by Gilbert Quintero Copyright © Gilbert Quintero 1997 A Dissertation Sutanitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 9 7 xmi NTUober: 9729503 Copyright 1997 by Quintero, Gilbert All rights reserved. UMI Microfonn 9729503 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by GILBERT A. OUINTERO entitled THE DISCOURSE ON DRINKING IN NAVAJO SOCIETY and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ^ C. ' ? "7 Farella Dfltip Ci.n >^rrold Levy Mark Nichter Date Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. 3/ /fp Dissertation Director Date Mark Nichter 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED\ 4 Acknowledgements The research for this study was conducted as part of a larger project funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, grant # R01-AA09420. I would like to thank: Stephen Kunitz, Chena Dupuy, Tom and Irina Hynes, Susanne Schlankey, Kay Streich, Lisa Hudson, Brian Fulfrost, Carolyn Smith, Peter Dunn, Dan Steele, Alan Rock, Eric Benson, Darren and Dana Kelly, Scott Russell, Elizabeth and Zack Lewton, Jane Hill, Thomas Weaver, Richard Henderson, Brad Lee, Linda Farella, Anne Barnocky, Pamela Coffee, Antonio Estrada, Barbara Polk, Marsha Inhorn, Claudia Arevalo, Maria Levy, Mimi Nichter, Lisa Tiger, Jen Pylypa, Jessica Farella, Joshua Farella, and Dan Docks. A very special thanks to Shannon Sparks. A special thanks also for mi familia: Rogelio and Minnie Quintero, Anna, Lester, and Leland Lockhart, Emma and Ben Flores, Roger and Candi Quintero, Diana, Michael, Mikey, and Pierce Cappelli, Micaela Quintero, and Tulis Rivas. Each member of my dissertation committee also deserves special thanks. Mark Nichter was always a thoughtful and supportive advisor. Jerrold Levy was always generous with his time and knowledge. John Farella provided long walks, deep thought, and careful examination. All of these men provided honest and often powerful critiques of my work. Thank you. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES 8 ABSTRACT 9 1. INTRODUCTION, OVERVIEW, AND METHODOLOGY 11 Orientation 11 Theoretical Notes 20 Theories of Discourse and Narrative 20 Studies of Navajo Discourse 24 The Current Study 25 Methodology 27 The Course, Conditions, and Context of Research . 29 The Setting 31 Cultural Background 35 Overview of This Work 43 2. THE PROFESSIONAL DISCOURSE ON DRINKING 46 Introduction 46 Major Frames of Native American Drinking 47 Culture and Biology 47 Cultural Stress, Anxiety, and Drinking 53 Navajo Drinking 57 Summary 65 3. THE DISCOURSE ON ALCOHOL IN NAVAJO SOCIETY, PART I: INDIVIDUAL MEANINGS 67 Introduction: Begay's Roadside Cross 67 Narratives of Alcohol and Drinking 70 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued Andy 70 Luke 75 Kee 78 Discussion 85 4. THE DISCOURSE ON ALCOHOL IN NAVAJO SOCIETY, PART II: COLLECTIVE MEANINGS 95 Introduction: An Accident 95 Alcohol, Drinking, and Meaning 98 Drinking and Nostalgia: Narratives of Degeneration 98 Discussion Ill 5. THE DISCOURSE ON AGING OUT 127 Introduction: The Lizard and the Green Bottle . 127 The Aging Out Phenomenon 130 Navajo Drinkers and Aging Out 135 Narratives of Aging Out 139 Discussion 159 6. THE DISCOURSE ON TREATMENT 162 Introduction 162 Alcoholism Treatment on the Navajo Reservation 162 Treatment in Context 162 Treatment Issues 166 Narratives of Treatment 171 Manson 171 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued Samuel 178 Gary 181 Rudy 184 Delford 188 Discussion 194 7. CONCLUSION 200 REFERENCES 208 8 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1.1, Background of Community Sample 30 TABLE 3.1, Drinking Background 86 TABLE 3.2, Relatives Deceased Due to Drinking 87 TABLE 3.3, Drinking Patterns of Family Members While Respondent Was Growing Up 88 TABLE 3.4, First Drink, Background Information 90 TABLE 3.5, Problems Experienced Due to Drinking 93 TABLE 4.1, Generational Differences in Onset of Drinking Problems 114 TABLE 5.1, Remission in Commtinity Sample 138 TABLE 6.1, Alcoholism Treatment 163 TABLE 6.2, How Did Alcohol Stop Being A Problem 164 TABLE 6.3, Help Seeking For Drinking Problems 165 TABLE 6.4, Cross-Tabulation of Remission Rates By Treatment 165 9 ABSTRACT This dissertation adopts a discourse-centered approach to culture in order to explore the local meanings attached to alcohol and drinking in contemporary Navajo society. Against a backdrop of drastic cultural transformations, Navajo discourse reveals a wide range of accounts in which drinking is situated within the context of individual experiences and histories. Alcohol and drinking are connected to personal memories of important events, emotions, and relationships. Beyond the level of individual stories, these narratives help organize collective accounts of the Navajo as a people by providing comprehensive evaluations and commentaries on drinking. A number of collective meanings are embedded in narratives about alcohol that reference cultural sentiments and prominent moral values and offer a social commentary that defines what is, and is not, Navajo. Further insights are offered by an examination of aging-out, a salient pattern of Navajo drinking. Former problem drinkers who have aged out and no longer experience alcohol related difficulties offer narratives that frame drinking in certain set ways. The discourse on aging-out among the Navajo not only provides detail on a category of drinker that is largely ignored in accounts of Native American drinking but also illustrates some of the values 10 and meanings attached to drinking cessation and personal change. The discourse of alcoholism treatment provides other understandings regarding Navajo conceptions of alcohol, including the character of this substance and the effect it has on people — especially Native Americans. Consideration of this set of discourse reveals insights into the treatment process as well as commentaries and evaluations of treatment effectiveness and other related issues. This study suggests that Navajo narratives of alcohol and drinking provide important idioms for expressing moral and self-identity, individual experience, collective history, and cultural degeneration. The discourse on drinking in Navajo society reveals a social world of polarization, contention, and intergenerational conflict. 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION, OVERVIEW, AND METHODOLOGY Orientation