Radio Features
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And now a special edition of Profile America. There
are millions of people with Indian ancestry, but that does not make them
American Indians in the eyes of Tribes or the federal government. The
federal government considers someone American Indian if he or she belongs
to a federally recognized tribe. Individual tribes have the exclusive
right to determine their own membership. Tribal governments formally list
their members, who must meet specific criteria for enrollment. Some require
a person to trace their lineage to the tribe. Two-and-a-quarter million
people report themselves as American Indian and Alaska Native according
to the 2000 Census. You can find these and more facts about America from
the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at census.gov.
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And now a special edition of Profile America. It's
estimated that about 200 American Indian languages are spoken today -
far fewer than the 350 languages when Europeans first arrived in North
America. One of the languages from the Sioux peoples is Lakota. For example...--
Ikopesni Ihanbla Po ...means – “dare to dream.” But
even within the Lakota language there are different dialects, which makes
learning and mastering the language difficult. More than a third of American
Indian languages are spoken only by elders. Some are known to just two
or three speakers. The vast majority of Indians speak English as their
main language. However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 28 percent
of speak a language other than English at home. You can find these and
more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at census.gov.
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And now a special edition of Profile America. Tribal
Colleges were created over the last 30 years to serve geographically isolated
populations that have no other means of accessing education beyond the
high school level. The 32 Tribal colleges located in North America uniquely
combine cultural relevance and higher education to encourage American
Indians-especially those living on reservations-to overcome the barriers
they face to achieving college degrees. Of those 25 and over who reported
American Indian and Alaska Native, 11 percent had a bachelor’s degree
or higher. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S.
Census Bureau on the Web at census.gov.
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Questions, comments and feedback
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Public Information Office
(301) 763-3030
Last Revised:
August 11, 2003 at 09:57:35 AM
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