UNIVERSITY
Native American shares cultural views, alcoholic battle
By Birgit Schreiber-Sivesind
Emerald Contributor
Al Smith. « 70-year-old Na
live American, spoke about tiis
battle with alcoholism and his
experiences with American cul
ture and soc iety Friday night as
part of a weekend workshop
called "Soar Like an Ragle."
The workshop, sponsored by
the Native American Student
Union and the University's
Continuation Center and sub
stance abuse prevention pro
gram. was held at the Valley
Kiver Inn.
The recovering alcoholic of
33 years is popularly known for
his six-year legal battle with
the Oregon and U.S. Supreme
Courts. The High Court re
cessed April 27 with the ruling
that Native American Churches
do not have the right to use pe
yote for spiritual or psychologi
cal healing
"I'm not an expert on peyote.
I don't speak for the Native
American Church or the Native
American people," he said
"The reason I'm here is l>e
cause of an incident I believe I
have the right to worship like
my ancestors did in this day
and tins time "
Smith was introduced by
|ohn Spence, a long-time friend
and fellow Native American
Spence described Smith as a
warrior because of what he had
done to establish treatment (.en
ters throughout Oregon for sub
stance abusers.
At the age of seven, Smith
was taken from his family and
home on the Klamath Reserva
tion and sent to various Catho
lic schools, to which Smith
said he built a lot of resent
ment.
"They did a good job. They
took away my language, my
songs." Smith said to the si
lent. tentative audience It was
for this reason that Smith start
ed drinking, saying he found a
friend in alcohol He said he
learned "you can lie an Indian,
but not too much of an Indian"
at a young age
Smith triad group therapy to
help him stop drinking, hut it
didn't work In Jan.. l‘)T>7.
when Smith was in his inid
10s. he realized that he was an
alcoholic, and went track to At
coholics Anonymous This
time he stayed, and he hasn't
had a drink since
"I would rant, rave and
curse, hoping they'd ki( k me
out." he said with a laugh "I
didn't want to lie there All
these white men around."
With Smith's help, the treat
ment centers now known us the
Harmony House in Portland,
the Red Willow Treatment Cen
ter in Washington, and the Na
tive American Rehab Associa
tion all got off the ground ap
proximately 20 years ago
At one point in his career.
Spence said. Smith took over
Alcatraz Island in hopes to pro
vide alcohol counseling later.
Smith became an alcohol and
drug counselor in Roseburg In
1984 he was fired because he
used peyote al Native American
Church ceremonies
Smith said he was sober for
1H years before going to his
first sweat lodge ceremony,
where several people gather
and sweat to cleanse their spir
its.
"1 was introduced to my spir
it and the path of my ancestors.
My spirit was really grateful to
me I finally got doctored. Fi
nally got doctored.”
In 1‘I7H. Smith started going
to sun dance rituals, which he
said he didn't understand at
first, but found sacred and
beautiful. He then attended a
tepee meeting, where he was
spoon-fed medicine.
"My spirit was doctored. It
was the beginning of another
episode. Fart of my journey
down my spiritual path. A new
awakening. Questions being
answered. A new awareness.
Clarity." he said.
Smith's story was not a lec
ture or speech. It was told in
fragments, and Smith some
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Al Smith
times expressed his feelings or
thoughts with only one word.
The audience of about 140 re
spond ed with occasional
chuckles, but for the most part,
the crowd was deathly silent.
The forum was still whenever
Smith paused.
“I'll continue to go to Native
American ceremonies and lis
ten to the beautiful songs, pray
ers and pray. I'll continue to
use the sacred pipe and tin*
songs. They are one of the same
to pray and worship. Taws
won't keep us from praying.
"One of these days I'd like to
thank Dave Frohnmayer for
what he had done for us. He ac
knowledged our religion.’’
Smith said in response to the
ruling making peyote use il
legal. “Six years ago all you
people here tonight would be
my family, my relatives, and
dark-skinned. One of these
days I'm going to thank him tor
opetltng the door so von can all
see."
“1 love this state. 1 love Ore
gon." he continued. "My roots
are here. To be treated this way
hurts my feelings.
"1 don't now if peyote is
good for you I can only tell
you how it has helped me. I
know what it's like to be on
skid row to be in the gutter. I
finally separated some of that
stuft. Alcohol isn't the prob
lem. it's secondary. The prob
lem is how 1 am. 1 look like
this, but they took away my
culture, my land Alcohol
saved my life It led me to so
briety It saved my life
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