Indians, the first Americans, are adopting many
of the white man's ways but retain many of their own, a new Bureau
of the Census publication for students shows.
We, the First Americans tells 1970 census
facts about the American Indian whose ancestors came to what
is now the United States about 30,000 years ago. The 20-page
booklet was published by the Bureau in September, part of the
U.S. Department of Commerce's Social and Economic Statistics
Administration. The booklet is another in the series, We,
the Americans, aimed at acquainting school students with
findings of the federal census.
All booklets in the series make use of colorful
illustrations and photos as well as simple charts and graphs
and non-technical language. Major points in the booklet include:
More than half the Indian population of 792,730
between 3 and 34 years old were attending school in 1970, and
about 95% of all Indian children aged 7 to 13 are in school
now.
The American Indian population increased by
51% between 1960 and 1970, faster than the national rate.
More than half the American Indian population
lives in just five states--Arizona, California, New Mexico,
North Carolina and Oklahoma. About 85% of this segment of the
population lives in 18 states.
The median family income of Indians in 1969
was about 61% that of all American families, and 40% lived below
the low-income level.
In general, the Indians who live in metropolitan
areas get more education, a better job, better housing, and
higher pay than their brothers on reservations and in rural
areas.
Fifty-five percent of the Indian population
16 years old and over who are employed work in urban areas,
competing in the job mainstream.
Indian families tend to he slightly larger
than those of the population as a whole, and nearly one-fifth
of them were headed by a female in 1970.
Copies of this publication may be purchased
for 45 cents each from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, or from
any of the U.S. Department of Commerce district offices which
are located in major cities throughout the United States. A
25% discount is given on orders of 100 copies or more mailed
to the same address.
[Purchasing information at time of journal]
