America’s Surprisingly Diverse Reservations
by Darrel Smith
For: Census Basics Information Brief Background
The view that Indian reservations are simply the home of American Indians lacks accuracy and causes many destructive misconceptions. According to the 2000 census there are 2,475,956 Indians, Eskimos or Aleuts in the United States (.9 percent of the total US population of 281,421,906).[i] Only 479,390[ii] Indians live on reservations (less than .2 percent of the total US population). Less than one-fifth of America's Indians live on reservations while over eighty percent live outside of recognized reservations. Of the 314 recognized reservations there aren't any Indians on 26 reservations and another 29 reservations have less than 25 Indian residents.[ iii]
The racial composition of reservations is just as surprising. While there are 479,390 Indians living on reservations, there are also 441,932 (48%)[iv] reservation residents who are non-Indian or of mixed races. If we remove the population of the large, and mostly Indian, Navajo reservation from the totals, there are 329,967 Indians and 436,141 (59%)[v] non-Indians or mixed race individuals on the remaining 313 reservations There are 33 reservations where at least 80% of the residents are non-Indian or mixed race. More non-Indians than Indians reside on reservations in California, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. [vi]
Adding Alaska Native Regional Corporations (ANRC) to the reservation totals results in 589,609 Indians on reservations and in ANRC areas and 940,908 (61%) non-Indian and mixed race individuals living in these same areas.[vii] Incorporating all types of “Indian land” including trust land and undefined Tribal Statistical Areas results in 904,479 Indians living in these areas and 3,318,147 (79 %) non-Indians and mixed race individuals in these same geographical areas. [viii] Thirty-three states have some type of “Indian land.” They include the following states (and the total population in the affected area): Alabama (208), Alaska (809,513), Arizona (179,064), California (54,913), Colorado (12,569), Connecticut (327), Florida (2,939), Idaho (30,595), Iowa (761), Kansas (5,889), Louisiana (60,507), Maine (11,792), Massachusetts (91), Michigan (68,501), Minnesota (35,282), Mississippi (5,190), Montana (46,622), Nebraska (8,827), Nevada (8,855), New Mexico (138,839), New York (15,106), North Carolina (8,092), North Dakota (22,892), Oklahoma (2,390,048), Oregon (7,133), Rhode Island (60), South Carolina (494), South Dakota (59,355), Texas (1,321), Utah (26,223), Washington (150,092), Wisconsin (37,276), Wyoming (23,250), U. S. total (4,222,626).[ix]
Many of these non-Indians are descendants and successors of homesteaders who moved into these areas when they were opened to homesteading from 1887 to 1934. During this assimilation period, Congress intended to integrate and phase out of existence all tribal governments and reservations. [x] Recently, new and expanding classifications of “Indian land” have included more non-Indians. Others have moved into these areas without understanding the potential implications of their “Indian land” classification.
The proposed “Tribal Governance and Economic Enhancement Initiative” potentially would give tribal governments civil and criminal jurisdiction over the most expansive definition of “Indian country.” [xi] Thus up to 3,300,000 non-Indians might lose their constitutional protections and the right to vote in the governments that would exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction over them.
[i] U. S. Census Bureau, “DP-1. Profile of General Demographic
Characteristics: 2000,” “Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent
Data,” available at: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?ds_name=D&geo_id=D&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&_lang=en
[ii] Population Statistics for Indian Reservations by State
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation
population by states.htm
[iii] Interesting Indian Reservation Population Statistics
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Interesting
Reservation Statistics.htm
[iv] Population Statistics for Indian Reservations by State
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation
population by states.htm
[v] Population Statistics by Reservation and ANRC
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation
Population by Reservation.htm
[vi] Interesting Indian Reservation Population Statistics
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Interesting
Reservation Statistics.htm
[vii] Population Statistics by Reservation and ANRC|
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation
Population by Reservation.htm
[viii] Detail Population Statistics of
"Indian Lands" Within the United States
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation and
Trust Lands by Reservation.htm
[ix] Federal Indian Reservation and Off Reservation Trust Land
Populations by State
http://www.citizensalliance.org/Reservation Demographics/Reservation and
Trust Lands by State.htm
[x] The Dawes Act of 1887, the Burke Act of 1906 and the many
Diminishment Acts for example
[xi] “The Proposed "Tribal Governance and Economic Enhancement Act”
available at: http://www.citizensalliance.org/The Hicks Fix/Proposed
Legilsation.htm
http://www.citizensalliance.org/CERA%20News/CERA%20News%202003%2001/Diverse%20Reservations%20by%20DS.htm
From
Journal #367
from sdc
2.4.05