Tribal elders say the lawsuit is a last resort after efforts to curb abuse through protests and policy failed.
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation one in four children suffers foetal disorders caused by alcohol abuse.
The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Nebraska, targets Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, SAB Miller, Molson Coors Brewing Company, MillerCoors LLC, and Pabst Brewing Company.
There was no immediate response from those firms.
'Notorious sales'
The lawsuit also names the nearby town of Whiteclay, Nebraska, which has four beer shops that sold nearly five million beer cans in 2010 despite having only about a dozen residents.
Alcohol is outlawed on the reservation and the nearest town which allows alcohol is 20 miles (32km) away, Mark Vasina, president of Nebraskans for Peace, told the Associated Press news agency.
The lawsuit alleges that beer makers and the shop owners knew the alcohol would be smuggled into the reservation for consumption or resale.
The legal documents allege: "The illegal sale and trade in alcohol in Whiteclay is open, notorious and well documented by news reports, legislative hearings, movies, public protests and law enforcement activities."
Meanwhile, Tom White, the lawyer representing the tribe, told the Associated Press news agency: "You cannot sell 4.9 million 12oz [356ml] cans of beer and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate, and say we've got nothing to do with it being smuggled."
The reservation has grappled with alcohol problems and poverty for generations, and the tribal council has said it hopes the case will help protect the community's youth.
"Like American parents everywhere, we will do everything lawful we can to protect the health, welfare and future of our children," Tribal President John Yellow Bird Steele told the Associated Press news agency.
The reservation, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut, includes Shannon County, the third poorest county in the US.
The median income in the area is $27,300 and almost half of the population is considered to be living below federal poverty standards.
The life expectancy in the community is between 45 and 52 years - the lowest in North America except Haiti - and far below the national average of 77.5 years.
Nebraska State Senator LeRoy Louden has said that after struggling with the problem for years, the state has introduced legislation that would impose restrictions - on the types of alcohol that can be sold and business hours.
BBC © 2012
To learn more about this lawsuit along with other topics affecting native populations, read The Politics of Indigeneity, available from Zed Books
Sueing over Alcohol Abuse
By Phillips, Blair M. at Feb 12, 2012 14:21 PM
I have a serious and destructive substance abuse problem(still) but am sober 32 years. I also have "some" formal education which I completed in Chemical Dependancy Councelling but do not work in the field. There are many ways to help people find the help they need. Now the article.
Sueing a alcohol, wine, beer or spirits manufacturer for producing a product that I purchased, consumed and developed the problem from is not their fault. I have the physical and mental make-up that is a "pre-dispostition" to developing a alcohol problem. But what if those manufacturers advertised their product by using advertising that "knowingly induced me" to purchase their product when it was not in my best interest - then - that is intent to cause substance abuse and serious harm. Some time ago I read about an interesting documentary from the Media Education Foundation entitled," Deadly Persuasion" which is about advertisng of alcohol & tobacco. One interesting statement from the trailer was that the people who advertise the product(alcohol) advertise their product "primarily to" 004% of the population that can legally drink. Why? Because that 004% of the population consume 40% of the alcohol,wine, spirits and beer products produced and sold. Who are those 004%? Take a wild guess!
In the last 15 years I have learned that Capitalism has no morals or ethics. Read Joel Bakans 2004 book,"The Corporation" or purchase the DVD of the same title.
My suggestion to the Oglala Sioux Tribe is to educate yourselves on substance abuse and Capitalism and do your best in todays legal system but don't get your hopes up. In my opinion, education is the key!
Max
Dry date - January 28th/80
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