Demographics

Who Is An Indian?

• There is no single federal or tribal criterion that establishes Indian identity.
• Tribal Membership is determined by the enrollment criteria of the tribe/nation.
• Generally, if linkage to an identified tribal member is far removed, one would not qualify for enrollment.
• Tribes/nations determine their own membership criteria.
• Blood quantum needed varies from tribe Nation to Nation. Some tribes only require proof of descent from an Indian ancestor while others require as much as one-half blood quantum.
• To be eligible for Bureau of Indian Affairs Services, an Indian must be 1) a member of a federally recognized tribe; 2) be of ½ or more Indian Blood of tribes indigenous to the United States; or 3) must be of ¼ or more Indian ancestry.

Tribal Names

There are many terms used including:

• American Indian
• Indians
• Indigenous 
• First Nations (Canadian)
• Native Americans
• American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN)
• However, most Indians prefer their tribal name. For example, a Navajo person would prefer to be called Diné, which is the name of the tribe in the Navajo language.

Resource links

2020 American Indian/Alaska Native Census Facts

2018 American Indian/Alaska Native Facts (Census)

2019 American Indian/Alaska Native  List of Federally Recognized Tribes and State Recognized Tribes

2010 American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal Lands Map

National Congress of American Indians Publication: Tribal Nations and the United States