American Indian Facts of Life

“Today’s American Indians are usually perceived as icons of the past, while current information about population, tribes and reservations is essentially ignored.” George Russell – Saginaw Chippewa Before American Indians can realistically develop national political and economic strategies to deal with a roster of long standing issues, it is essential to know the answers to some very basic demographic questions. What is today's American Indian population? (2.5 million) How many tribes still exist? (562 federally recognized) How many reservations are there? (314 in the continental US) What are the blood quantum certification requirements for tribal membership? The United States government definition of a legal Indian is: “Any person who has the certifiable Indian blood quantum to meet the enrollment requirements of a federally recognized tribe.” This seemingly innocuous definition has been the cause of enormous dilemma in the Indian community. American Indians are the only ethnic group of people who must comply with the US government official documentation and certification process to be recognized as American Indians. A larger ominous question is: “Do current blood quantum certification requirements program Indians for extinction?” There is a generational genetic blood quantum time-bomb quietly ticking in Indian country! Indian blood quantum is being rapidly diluted with each passing generation until, theoretically, it will be essentially extinguished. The blood quantum issue is further complicated by the proliferation of tribally mixed people. The Blood quantum certification dilemma has become a game of Genetic Roulette combined with Rubik’s Cube complexity. This book provides answers to these complex demographic questions and a foreboding premise, that American Indians may become an endangered species in the foreseeable future, from an insightful and provocative Indian perspective.