This book offers a comprehensive look at Native American drinking using the Indians of Sioux City, Iowa and the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) tribe of Nebraska as examples. It starts with an overview of the manner in which anthropologists and historians have described and interpreted heavy drinking in situations of culture contact and then moves to examine a number of issues relevant to contemporary Indians: How does alcohol figure in their life styles? How do people see themselves in terms of drinking and explain their life choices? How and why do individuals behave as they do when drunk? Is problem drinking best seen as a disease or a bad habit? Do Indian people carry genetic traits that put them at greater risk for alcoholism than other people? What approaches work best to prevent and treat problem drinking? As part of this examination, the spread of the Peyote religion among the Winnebago in the early 1900s is examined and lessons are drawn that can be applied to the present day. The data for this study were collected during a year-long ethnographic field study among the Indians of Sioux City and from later archival historical research. Data from recent genetic studies are integrated into the text. The theoretical approach underlying both the ethnographic and historical research is one that places the emphasis on achieving an “insider’s view” of the behavioral patterns and culture. The question to answer is not “How does alcohol use look to middle-class, mainstream Americans?” but “How do the Indians themselves see and evaluate drinking?” A related theoretical assumption driving the inquiry is that a researcher should expect to find diversity within the population, that is, it is no longer assumed that a society is a homogenous collection of individuals all sharing one or two personality types. Instead, a society should be seen as an organization of diversity with problem drinkers constituting a variety of biopsychological types shaped by multiple sociocultural factors. For too long, researchers working with Native Americans have operated with unintended ethnocentrism coloring their results. This book joins those studies that aim for an insider’s view of Native American drinking patterns and life styles and that reflect the true diversity to be found within their communities. Thomas Hill's Native American Drinking is a major contribution to the anthropology of alcohol use and abuse among Native Americans. Ethnography, ethnohistory, and biological anthropology are woven into one of the most well-rounded and comprehensive volumes on the subject. Native American Drinking compiles and revises a number of Hill's articles on drinking behavior in the upper Midwest.  Hill's descriptions and analyses of drinking behavior among the Indians of Sioux City in the late 20th century remain the best ethnographic accounts of Native American drinking behavior in the literature. The detailed and nuanced exploration of the varied contexts of drinking behavior add a dynamic dimension that goes beyond studies of the incidence of alcohol dependency so prevalent in the literature. The discussion of problem drinking is framed by synthesizing recent research concerning ethnic differences in the genetics of alcohol metabolism. Hill deftly situates patterns of drinking within the social and economic circumstances of individuals and traces changes in alcohol through the life cycles of individuals.  Through a careful and cogent use of historical documents, informed by the insights developed in his ethnographic work, Hill demonstrates how drinking styles and patterns of alcohol use changed among the Nebraska Winnebago in response to social conditions. The historical spread of Peyotism and its role in curbing alcohol abuse are also examined. More significantly, Hill draws from this history lessons that are relevant for contemporary approaches to alcohol counseling and treatment programs. -Dr. Eric Henderson, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Northland Pioneer College Native American Drinking is a "must read" for anyone curious or concerned about Native American drinking. The book is comprehensive and carefully researched. It is geared toward both academic audiences and the wider public. By virtue of the topic and the breadth of complicated and often contentious issues encompassed in the book, Native American Drinking will likely spark lively discussion and debate.  A particular strength of the volume derives from (1) its thorough coverage of studies conducted by a broad array of different scholars with respect to Native American drinking and (2) considerable and rich data collected by Hill ... among Native Americans in Sioux City, Iowa, with respect to their drinking histories and drinking impact. English language publications on the topic are thoroughly referenced.  In Hill's field work, Native Americans most heavily represented are from the Santee and Winnebago tribal groups living in Sioux City, Iowa. He conducted in-depth research