Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: A Snapshot

Native News Network Staff in Native Currents. Discussion »

WASHINGTON – With November being celebrated as Native American Heritage Month, here is a demographic snapshot of the American Indian and Alaska Native population:

American Indian Students Native Population Increased by 27%

The Native American population is fast growing- in the 2010 Census, 5.2 million people or 1.7 percent of the US population identified as American Indian/Alaska Native alone or in combination with other races, an overall increase of 27 percent.
There are over 150,000 American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans, according to 2010 US Census, living in the United States and ten percent of these veterans are women. The Pentagon estimates that well over 22,000 American Indian and Alaska Native active duty personnel currently serve across the Armed Forces.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs now recognizes 566 federally recognized tribes, with 229 of those tribes and villages located in Alaska; the remaining tribes are located in 34 other states.
In total, tribal governments exercise jurisdiction over lands that would make Indian country the fourth largest state in the United States if all the lands were combined.
The Navajo Nation is larger than each of the following states: Maryland, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island.
19 tribal nations are each larger than the state of Rhode Island.
12 have a land base larger than the state of Delaware.

posted November 23, 2012 6:00 am est