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Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Native American

            As most would expect, there are advantages and disadvantages to belonging to any culture. Conditions and lifestyles that may seem normal to one culture often times may seem unusual or horrendous to another. When many think of Native Americans the first thing that comes to mind is reservations, stolen land, and a diminishing population, but most people don't realize that Native Americans face other disadvantages as well. Many American Indian youth are repeatedly exposed to opportunities to participate in self-destructive and illegal behaviors. A 2001 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported the following rates of participation in a variety of high-risk behaviors among Native American youth aged 12 to 17 years in 1999-2000. Illicit drug use by American Indian Youths was more than twice as high as the national average. .
             - Binge alcohol use was higher (13.8%) than the national average (10.3%). .
             - Heavy alcohol use was higher (3.8%) than the national average (2.5%). .
             - Use of cigarettes was more than twice as high as the national average.
             - Getting into at least one serious fight at school or work in the past year was higher (22.1%) than the national average (19.9%). .
             - Taking part in at least one group-against-group fight in the past year was higher (22.4%) than the national average (16.1%). .
             - Carrying a handgun at least once in the past year was slightly higher than the national average.
             The number one cause of death of Native Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four is motor vehicle accidents. This figure is three times higher than the rate for the total U.S. population. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for American Indian youth in the fifteen to twenty-four age group; currently the suicide rate is 2.5 times higher for American Indian people than the combined rate for all races in the United States. Although still a strong cause for concern, these numbers represent an improvement over the 29% reported in the 1994 survey.


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