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 | By some measures, the 20th century has
been an Indian success story. Once numbering in the tens of millions,
Indians began this century with a population of barely 200,000. Today,
there are 2.4 million. They are the nation's youngest and
fastest-growing minority. "We've come back like a few races in
mankind's history," says Kevin Gover, a Pawnee and head of the Bureau
of Indian Affairs (BIA). But American Indians are also the country's
poorest, sickest, and least-educated minority. They have the highest
suicide rate and lowest life expectancy. Alcohol addiction is rampant. |
| There are 557 Indian tribes in 33
states (Alaska alone has 226 tribes), with a combined population of 2.4
million. Of those, 1.3 million live on reservations. |
| Of 175 Tribal Languages, 50 are spoken
by two or more generations; 70 are spoken only by elders; and 55 are spoken
by fewer than 10 persons. But many tribes have begun efforts to teach
their native tongues to the young. |
| Nearly 190,000 Indians are military
veterans. American Indians have the highest record of service per
capita of any ethnic group in the United States. |
| Median household income for American
Indians on reservations was $19,897 in 1989, compared with $30,056 for the
entire U.S. population, according to the 1990 census. At that same
time, 31% of American Indians lived below the national poverty level.
This picture is a typical house found on a reservation. It's called a
"Sandwich House" because it is made of mud and scrap boards. |
| The suicide rate for American Indians
(17% of all deaths) is 70% higher than the rate of the general population. |
| The Reservation:
still a home to despair. Unemployment hovers around 50% on most Indian
reservations, rising as high as 90% on some. The rate for the U.S.
population as a whole is now 4.2% A mother and 3 kids were living in
this makeshift shack. Would you live in these conditions? |
"One day I was distributing
food boxes on one of the Reservations and found a mother and 2 small children
living in this makeshift house. It is really heartbreaking to see folks
live in these conditions." ~Blessed Cloud
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