Welcome to Health Power's Native American/American Indian Channel. Health Power considers it very important that we focus attention on the health related interests and needs of Native Americans/American Indians and Alaska Natives, the original Americans. Thus, this channel provides a wide mix of information to assist Native Americans/ American Indians and Alaska Natives as well as those who serve them, and others who care.
The first section after this introduction discusses differences in preference among Native Americans/American Indians and Alaska Natives about which term to use. Not only do these differences exist for persons of this heritage, but also other multicultural groups. What is important is to know about and be sensitive to these preferential differences, and to use the preferred terms in given settings. The issue of population terms is also discussed in the opening portion of our Racial and Ethnic Channels section because so many people feel so strongly about one term or another..
Our current Editor, Cordelia Clapp, has been especially helpful to Health Power in developing this Channel.
The Terms American Indian and Native American are Both Widely Used
Whether the term American Indian or Native American is used, each term is meant by Health Power to include Alaska Natives (Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts of Alaska). The Eskimos and Aleuts in Alaska are two culturally distinct groups, and many of them prefer being called Alaska Natives. In summary, at present the terms American Indian and Native Americans are both used by many persons of Native American, American Indian and Alaska Native heritage.
Federally Recognized Tribes
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, there are more than 550 federally recognized tribes in the United States, including 223 village groups in Alaska. "Federally recognized" means they have a special, legal relationship with the U.S. government. This relationship is called a government-to-government relationship.
Indian Reservations
There are only two kinds of well- known reserved lands in the United States: military and Indian. Originally, an Indian reservation was land which was reserved for a tribe when it gave up its other land areas to the United States/U.S. through treaties. More recently, Congressional acts, Executive Orders, and administrative acts have created additional reservations. On each reservation, the local governing authority is the tribal government. Today, some reservations have non-Indian residents and land owners.
There are approximately 275 Indian land areas in the U.S. administered as Indian reservations (reservations, pueblos, rancherias, communities, etc.). The largest is the Navajo Reservation of some 16 million acres of land in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Many of the smaller reservations are less than 1,000 acres with the smallest less than 100 acres.
Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NAMI)
On Tuesday, September 21, 2004 at noon, the opening ceremony for the National Museum of the American Indian (NAMI) was held on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capital Building. The event was free and open to the public. For more information about the opening ceremony contact the Visitor Information Associate's Reception Center (VIARC) at 202/ 633-1000. For more information, visit the museum online.
Additional Information on This Channel
- Health resources on the internet that may be of use to American Indians and Alaska Natives, such as governmental agencies, organizations, and statistical information, with a description of key organizations that serve these populations;
- Additional internet resources that may be useful to American Indians and Alaska Natives;
- A Did You Know That? section which tests your interest and/or knowledge of American Indian History and Culture; and
- a series of Year 2000 tables [link needed to preceding color coded words] on: (a) the distribution of American Indians and Alaska Natives, (b) the largest tribal groups, and (c) the leading causes of death. Following is a list of these tables.
- Table H-8. Ten Leading Causes of Death in the U.S., American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2000 Table P-4. U.S., American Indians and Alaskan Natives by Region and in Puerto Rico
- Table P-6. Ten States with Most American Indians and Alaska Natives in U.S. and Puerto Rico
- Table P-5. The Ten Cities with the Largest American Indian and Alaska Native Populations
- Table P-7. The Ten Largest American Indian Tribal Groups in the U.S.