Indians in the Curriculum:
20 Handouts for Middle and High School
History and Social Studies
By Kerry Dunne

Handout 11 Activities: Who is an Indian?

Background:

By Mark Thiel in Indian Way, Noc Bay Trading, www.nocbay.com, Escanaba, Michigan, 2001, CD-ROM.

Study and Discuss:

1.     What North American Country has the most people who define themselves as Indians? Why? What Indian group do you think is the largest in this country?

2.     What tribes within the US have the largest numbers? Where are they located?

3.     In the U. S, which people are usually counted as Indians?

4.     What are some problems leading to differing counts in compiling statistics about Indians?

Examples:

•     Not all people of American Indian ancestry identify themselves as Indian. Why?

•      Some tribes in the United States are not federally recognized. Why?

•      Some Indians (with U. S. citizenship) are affiliated with tribes not recognized by the U. S. federal government, including tribal communities outside the United States (Canada, Mexico, etc.).

•      Mexicans and Mexican-Americans with Indian ancestry living in the United States often identify as Hispanic or Latino even when they may identify with an indigenous Indian culture group.

Resources 11: Who is an Indian?