NATIVE AMERICAN
General Information and Useful Facts
To be eligible for Bureau of Indian Affairs services, an Indian must (1) be a member of a tribe recognized by the federal government, (2) be of one-half or more Indian blood of tribes indigenous to the United States; or (3) must, for some purposes, be of one-fourth or more Indian ancestry. By legislative and administrative decision, the Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians of Alaska are eligible for BIA services. Most of the BIA's services and programs, however, are limited to Indians living on or near Indian reservations.
Why are Indians sometimes referred to as Native Americans? The term, “Native American,” came into usage in the 1960s to denote the groups served by the Bureau of Indian Affairs: American Indians and Alaska Natives (Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts of Alaska). Later the term also included Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in some federal programs. It, therefore, came into disfavor among some Indian groups. The preferred term is American Indian. The Eskimos and Aleuts in Alaska are two culturally distinct groups and are sensitive about being included under the “Indian” designation. They prefer “Alaska Native.”
(4.3 million) The number of people estimated to be American Indian and Alaska native or American Indian and Alaska native in combination with one or more other races, as of July 1, 2002. They made up 1.5 percent of the total population. One in every 130 people living in the U.S. today is a Native American.
American Indian tribes with more than 50,000 members are Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Muscogee (Creek), Apache and Lumbee. Cherokee is easily the largest, with a population of 697,400 who are Cherokee alone or in combination with one or more other races or tribes.
COMANCHE
Location: Presently Western Oklahoma; Population: 11,322; Language: Uto-Aztecan. 854 speakers
Age Distribution
1.4 million The number of American Indian and Alaska native children under 18. Children comprise nearly one-third of this race group.
292,000 Number of American Indians and Alaska natives age 65 and over. This age group comprises 7 percent of the American Indian and Alaska native population.
Education
14 Percentage of American Indians and Alaska natives age 25 and over who had earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
75 Percentage of American Indians and Alaska natives age 25 and over who had at least a high school diploma.
(125,000) Number of American Indians and Alaska natives age 25 and over who have an advanced degree (i.e., master’s, Ph.D., medical or law).
Language
381,000 Number of people who speak a native North American language. Of these languages, the most commonly spoken is Navajo, with 178,014 speakers.
Proud to Serve
383,000 Number of military veterans who identified themselves as American Indian and Alaska natives. Of these, 147,000 served during the Vietnam War era.About 24,000 Native Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, including some ranking as high as major general.
VA loans are available to eligible Native American veterans who wish to purchase, construct or improve a home on Native American trust land.
Of the 10 top-selling herbs in the U.S. today, seven of them have been used for centuries by Native American healers.
REFERNCES:
(1) US Census Press Releases
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features/001492.html
(2) INFORMATION ON NATIVE AMERICANS AND FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE
http://www.americanpentimento.com/Tribes.htm
(3) Walks with Spirit
http://groups.msn.com/WalkswithSpirit/didyouknow.msnw?pgmarket=en-us
(4) Facts about American Indians Today
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0192524.html