Family dysfunction is common in Indigenous communities. One example is Rowdy’s family, from Sherman Alexie’s The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Rowdy’s father is a drunkard who beats his wife and son, “so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces”. In response, Rowdy is a bully who fights anyone and anything in his way. This is one out of many dysfunctional families, common around the world. Family dysfunction does not only occur in Indigenous communities, it also occurs in the dominant culture.
