The High Suicide Rates Caused Directly or Indirectly by Racism on Native American Reserves?

I’m not sure I understand the question.

I wrote a college paper on this topic once. I based it off of my own observations and my own experiences. Emile Durkheim quite succinctly summed up four possible reasons for a person to commit suicide. My conclusion, based on Durkheim’s “Suicide”, was that Native Americans’ suicides were symptomatic of “Egoistic Suicides”. Here were my reasons for coming to that conclusion.

Egoistic suicides relate to one’s inability to integrate into a group or community. In the case of Native Americans, it was a Native American’s inability to integrate into both the Native American and Anglo culture. This loss of a specific identity causes much concern for a lot of Native Americans. It even creates its own form of racism; specifically Native Americans who are perceived as acting white or non-Native Americans acting like Native Americans. This inability to exist in either spheres, Native American or Anglo, creates an anomie among Native Americans which eventually leads to suicide.

Drugs and alcohol are merely “solutions” that some Native Americans use to deal with that anomie so they can forget about their problems. Drug and alcohol abuse are not necessarily prerequisites for one to be become suicidal as suicidal thoughts are usually the result of much more complex situations as I have mentioned.

As it relates to myself, I’m full-blooded Navajo. Being born and predominantly raised off of the reservation I was considered an “apple”, red on the outside and white on the inside, by Native Americans; however my physical appearance made me a de facto Native American by non-Native Americans. Because I was considered a Native American, I was considered the expert on Native American issues by non-natives; this stereotype persisted even throughout my college years by my professors no less. On the reservation, I was considered out of touch with “true” Navajo traditions and religious beliefs. While I participated in both cultures, I was never completely included in either and I am to some degree still partially excluded. This did lead to a lot of anger issues within myself that I directed at people who I felt perpetuated those stereotypes. With no outlet for that anger I occassionally felt suicidal until one day I decided to take the time to start explaining to people my unique circumstances growing up and the kind of person I became. Needless to say, I no longer suffer from any identity crisis and am quite happy with who I am regardless of what other’s perceive me to be.