Tatiana to Host
Indian Meeting
Again This Jane
The Dona' Nena’ Henash, Interior
Indian Organization, will again hold
a conference this summer at Tan
ana, according to Alfred Ketzler,
chairman of the organization.
The meeting this year will not
be devoted merely to relating prob
lems as it was last year but will
consist of workshop sessions geared
toward arriving at solutions to prob
lems, he said.
Invitations have been sent to more
than 40 villages. But according to
Ketzler other villages are welcome
to send delegates.
Ketzler asks, however, that vil
lages desiring to Send delegates con
tact him at Nenana within the nekt
two weeks.
bince Tanana has neither a hotel
nor a restaurant, he stressed the
need to know ivefl in advance the
numBetv of delegates expected. Vil
lages are asked to bear the expenses
of its delegate.
With invitations, Ketzler sent re
quests and instructions on starting
village surveys of Resources. Other
material to be used as a guide in
making surveys will he sent to vil
lages soon. Ketzler said village sur
veys would be used at this year's
conference.
Key men in various state and fed
eral agencies will be on hand at the
meeting this year to answer ques
tions and offer assistance.
In order to spread the benefits of
the organization as far as' possible,
Ketzler said several Aleut com
munities have been invited to send
representatives to the conference
as well as some Eskimo villages who
did not have an opportunity to send
delegates to the Inupiat Paitot.
“Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts
have many common problems and
a united native population can work
together for the good of all,” says
Ketzler.
He urges villages to complete and
return the information asked for in
the invitation as soon as possible.
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Parents Have Key Role in Solving
Startling, Teenage Drinking Problem
By Mrs. Cleota M. Brayboy *
Serial Worker, Juneau District Of
fice, Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Federal Bureau of Investiga
tion disclosed that 104,174 teenagers
were arrested in 1962 for drunk
eness, driving while intoxicated
and violation of liquor laws. Eight
separate scientific studies showed
that about half of all high school
age youngsters drink with some
degree of regularity.
A family ageflcy in Tacoma,
Washington, reports drinking as
possibly the number orie communi
ty problem with teenagers. The age
level of the youngsters has been de
clining from the 14 to 18 year
group, so that now the problem is
reaching down to grade school
level, -
Why this startling increase in the
amount of juvenile drinking and
subsequent involvement with the
law? The answer to this is usually
fp be found m the home.
A teenager or adolescent belongs
to that conventional age group with
age limits between 12-21 for girls,
13-22 for boys. This is the period
from the beginning of puberty to
the attainment of maturity, the
transitional stage during which the
youth is becoming an adult man or
woman.
This is the period of strong iden
tification with adults and peers. A
period where the youngster is
reaching for adult status but not
psycologically ready to assume the
role. It is a period of an increase
in psychic energy sometimes mani
fested in stubbornness, determina
tion and wilfulncss. A period where
j the youngster rebels against and
1 seeks authority and controls from
! an adult figure who has meaning to
him.
It is a period where the young
ster is held more accountable for
his own conduct. However, this con
duct is a product of his constitu
tional makeup, his social and phy
sical environment, his past experi
ence, his present perception and re
actions, and even his future aspira
tions.
He is the product of what he
learns. The teenager gets his ideas
about drinking from what he learns.
He learns from both his parents
and his peers. He therefore drinks
for psycological reasons and he
drinks for recognition among his
peer group. The average youngster
who drinks does not need therapy,
he needs to be educated about alco
hol. The responsibility for this edu
cation lies with the greatest in
fluence in his life—the home, the
school and the church.
The social and physical environ
ment plays a large part in the aver
age youngster’s use of alcohol. If
the parent drinks, most likely his
youngster will drink. If the use of
alcohol is widely endorsed by the
community, most likely the young
ster will experiment.
If the neforcement of school con
trol laws is lax. most likely the
teenager will challenge this au
thority. If he is ignorant of the ef
fects of alcohol, most likely his
drinking will not be an isolated in
cident but repeated escapades. If
he has no knowledge about alco
! hoi he will be unable to make a
I realistic decision about his use of it.
Therefore, the parent must have
some conviction about his use of
alcohol and this he relays in some
way to his youngster.
The parent may drink moderate
ly at social affairs. He may drink
[ to ease tension. He may drink tc
; cover up or escape from his prob
lems. He may drink to drown feel
ings of inferiority. He may be al
coholic.
The teenager is influenced by his
parent’s motivation. Then if the
average youngster is treated like
j a little adult, prodded by his par
ents to meet goals beyond his ca
pacity, has not learned a sense of
responsibility, has strong anxiety
feelings of guilt and inferiority,
lacks a feeling of love and security
and does not respect or recognize
authority, he can become quite
susceptible to the attraction of al
cohol.
The teenager needs to know the
facts about the effects of alcohol
on his mental and motor processes.
He needs to know of alcohol's de
pressive and sedative natures. He
needs tp know of the risk he faces
in losing self-control and letting
down his protective inhibitions. He
needs to know that alcohol cannot
help him solve his problems, wipe
out anxiety, nor provide him sta
tus.
He also needs to know that alco
holics are sick people and that 6"n I
of alcoholic patients complete the
road to alcoholism in from one to j
ten years. But where is he to learn
this, if drinking is a problem in
his own home environment? How
many parents are willing to admit
or know the reasons for their own
drinking habits? How can the par
ent start an education which has
been neglected in the youngster’s
formative years? How can he help
the youngster not make the same
mistakes he has made?
The answer lies in an honest ap
praisal of yourself. What type ex
ample have you set for your chil
dren? What opportunities have you
given to help them make decisions
of their own choice, recognizing
realistic limits? Does your young- J
ster feel loved and wanted? Has
he been provided a good religious
upbringing? Have you recognized
symptomatic aspects of disturbed
behavior in your youngster? Have
i you sought professional advise
j when your youngster is repeatedly
intoxicated? What have you done
to get more effective alcohol con
I trol laws?
I The parent can be the impetus for
! alcohol education becoming a part
: of his youngster’s training. It is not
a problem which can be ignored.
. Tile community can be activated
I to look at its liquor tirws. The school
/ could start alcohol education. Look
I at the social problems which can
be attributed directly or indirect
ly to the use and influence of alco
hol. i
Automobile accidents are not the
sole consequence of teenage drink
ing. There is an alarming increase
in venereal disease and the steady
rise in the number of unwed
mothers.
There are gang wars, destruction
of property, accidents, various types
of sexual activities, unconventional
behavior and an increasing number .
of school drop-outs. Usually a com
munity with an extensive alcohol
problem has other extensive social
and psycological problems.
The family is the backbone.®! our
society. It’s up to the parents to
assume their appropriate role in j
directing what type heritage they
I will leave their children.
Indian Legend
Healy Mountain
Great Ghost Hog
By George Jennings Gale
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This legend
was told to Mr. Gale at various
times by different Athabascan In
dian children.)
A long, long time ago. there lived
an Indian woman and her two
little girls, Susitna and Chulitna.
They lived in a mud and log cabin
down on the Healy River where it
empties into the Nenana River.
Since their father got killed in
a battle with some strange people,
the little family had to provide their
own food.
Susitna and Chulitna were good,
as well as beautiful, and they did
everything they could for their
mother. They would fish in the
river and go up 'into the mountains
to pick berries.
There was a place on top of Healy
Mountain and it was very beauti
ful, but they were told that a great,
bad ghost dog lived there and that
he ate Indian children.
One day they all were very, very
hungry and the two tittle girls
kept climbing higher and higher
up on Healy Mountain until they
came to what is known as “Thfe
Castle,” a huge square rock right
on top of the mountain.
They saw some strange Indians
shooting arrows at a black dog, but
the dog chased the wild Indians
away but he was full of arrows. So
Susitna and Chulitna begun nursing
the dog and made him feel better.
While putting medicine leaves ,on
' the wounds, they never dreamt it
was the great vicious dog of Ghost
Dog Rock. The dog did not look
a bit mean, but like the owl, the
I dog could speak Athabascan and be
began to talk to them.
| “You have been so kind to me. I
want to give you something fot
your kindness.” The dog ran up
I towards the Castle Hock and told
the girls to follow him.
i The climb waif vary steep
/ slippery and just as tbssy WJQCOCar
1 they were going to fall to their
death they came upon a cave. In
the cave was a wonderful room and
it was filled with many things'that
Indians needed.
There were beautiful mooseniae
moccassins, and other clothes, dried
fish, and smoked meat. The dog told
Susitna and Chulitna tp take home
as much as they^ould carry and of
course, the girls were very, very
happy.
From then on. the dog was never 3
mean nor was he lonely, because
his new friends came up every few
days to see him and get things for
their mother.
To this day you can see the
Castle on top of Healy Mountain
from the Alaska Railroad Depot at
Healy. It is a large, almost square
stone and no one has been able to
climb it, no doubt, there is a cave
I of the Ghost Dog near the top.
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