Michael Dorris American writer and scholar of Indian studies Date of Birth: 30.01.1945 Country: USA

1. Michael Dorris: An American Writer and Anthropologist
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career and Family
4. Marriage and Legal Battles
5. Death

Michael Dorris: An American Writer and Anthropologist

Michael Dorris was an American writer and anthropologist whose most famous works explored Native American identity and the challenges faced by children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Early Life and Education

Dorris was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 31, 1945, to Jim and Mary Dorris. He claimed to have Modoc, Irish, and French ancestry, but his Native American heritage was never officially confirmed, and he was not enrolled in any federally recognized tribe. Dorris studied at Georgetown University, graduating in 1967 with a bachelor's degree, and later earned a master's degree from Yale University in 1970.

Career and Family

In 1972, Dorris joined the Native American Studies Department at Dartmouth College. In 1971, he became the first single male in the United States to adopt a child. His adopted son, three-year-old Lakota boy named Reynold Abel, suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Dorris's subsequent struggles with his son's health, care, and the accompanying hardships became the basis for his acclaimed memoir "The Broken Cord" (1989).

He later adopted two more Native American children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Jeffrey Sava in 1974 and Madeline Hannah in 1976. In 1981, Dorris married Louise Erdrich, a writer of German-American descent, whom he had met at Dartmouth. She adopted all of his children and gave birth to three daughters of their own: Persia Andromeda, Pallas Antigone, and Aza Marion. The couple moved to Minnesota, where they collaborated on writing projects and published works under the pseudonym Milou North.

Marriage and Legal Battles

Dorris and Erdrich supported each other in their writing careers. However, their marriage faced challenges. In 1991, Reynold Abel was killed in a car accident. In 1995, Dorris and Erdrich were unsuccessfully sued by their son Jeffrey Sava, who accused them of physical abuse. The couple separated shortly after and eventually divorced.

Death

On April 10, 1997, Dorris committed suicide by asphyxiation while intoxicated by alcohol and drugs at the Brick Tower Motor Inn in Concord, New Hampshire. Shortly before his death, it became apparent that he would soon face charges of sexual abuse from one of his daughters. Dorris reportedly told friends that he was innocent but did not believe the American justice system would exonerate him. With his death, the investigation into the alleged sexual abuse was closed, and the charges were never adjudicated.