The Way of the Human Being

Eric Vilmer

10/12/20

Professor Simpson

The Way of the Human Being

This essay is probably my favorite essay we have read this semester and also the

 hardest. The destruction of alaskan native culture and all native culture for that matter is 

always a difficult topic for me to discuss. “The Way of the Human Being” was written by

Harold Napoleon, who is a Yup’ik native from Hooper Bay, Alaska. He starts his essay off 

on how many people believe native alcohol addiction is due to not being exposed to it until

way later than other cultures but his essay gets way deeper. He also points out that he does

not hold a doctorate or masters degree but adds that he is from a world that no longer exists,

a world that was taken from him. Napoleon believes that alcohol abuse among natives is not

physical among native people but spiritual. He feels that many, if not all natives feel as if

they have no voice as white people came to their lands and lied to them and forced them to 

relearn everything they believed. The Yup’ik children could not practice their own native 

religion and were forced to convert to Christianity. Many native people quit speaking

because of how hurt they were, perhaps even shocked by their entire world being taken 

away from them. Napoleon points out that many natives exhibited what is now called PTSD

due to the radical lifestyle changes they had to make by force because another culture that

was not from their believed they were savages and were going to hell. The solution to the

problem of alcohol abuse according to Napoleon is to give alaskan natives control of their

land and resources. Many natives in the lower 48 have regained control over lands and they

can manage the resources without government interference. In Alaska, native people are not

allowed to control their resources. Outside companies are legally allowed to extract 

resources on native land. Napoleon suggests a similar approach to the lower 48 states where

native people regain full control over their lands as a way to end their depression and get

over their alcohol addiction.