Archive for the ‘American Indian’ Category
January 25th, 2008 | 
Author: This interesting table shows the growth rates of the top 25 American Indian tribes from 1990 to 2000. It makes for interesting reading to see how the populations are changing over the decade.
1990 Census 1980 Census
Tribe Number Percent Number Percent
All American Indians..... 1,937,391 100.0 1,478,523 100.0
Cherokee...................... 369,035 19.0 232,080 15.7
Navajo........................ 225,298 11.6 158,633 10.7
Sioux 1....................... 107,321 5.5 78,608 5.3
Chippewa...................... 105,988 5.5 73,602 5.0
Choctaw....................... 86,231 4.5 50,220 3.4
Pueblo 2...................... 55,330 2.9 42,552 2.9
Apache........................ 53,330 2.8 35,861 2.4
Iroquois 3.................... 52,557 2.7 38,218 2.6
Lumbee 4...................... 50,888 2.6 28,631 1.9
Creek......................... 45,872 2.4 28,278 1.9
Blackfoot 2................... 37,992 2.0 21,964 1.5
Canadian and Latin American... 27,179 1.4 7,804 0.5
Chickasaw..................... 21,522 1.1 10,317 0.7
Tohono O'Odham................ 16,876 0.9 13,297 0.9
Potawatomi.................... 16,719 0.9 9,715 0.7
Seminole 2.................... 15,564 0.8 10,363 0.7
Pima.......................... 15,074 0.8 11,722 0.8
Tlingit....................... 14,417 0.7 9,509 0.6
Alaskan Athabaskans........... 14,198 0.7 10,136 0.7
Cheyenne...................... 11,809 0.6 9,918 0.7
Comanche...................... 11,437 0.6 9,037 0.6
Paiute 2...................... 11,369 0.6 9,523 0.6
Osage......................... 10,430 0.5 6,884 0.5
Puget Sound Salish............ 10,384 0.5 6,591 0.4
Yaqui......................... 9,838 0.5 5,197 0.4
1 Any entry with the spelling “Siouan” in the 1990 census was miscoded to Sioux in North Carolina.
2 Reporting and/or processing problems in the 1980 census have affected the data for this tribe.
3 Reporting and/or processing problems in the 1990 census have affected the data for this tribe.
4 Miscoding of entries in the 1980 census for “Lummee,” “Lummi,” “Lumbee,” or “Lumbi” have affected the data for this tribe.
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In the 20th century, five American Indians have been among those soldiers to be distinguished by receiving the United States’ highest military honor: the Medal of Honor. Given for military heroism “above and beyond the call of duty,” these warriors exhibited extraordinary bravery in the face of the enemy and, in two cases, made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.Jack C. Montgomery. A Cherokee from Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division Thunderbirds. On 22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, Montgomery’s rifle platoon was under fire by three echelons of enemy forces, when he single-handedly attacked all three positions, taking prisoners in the process. As a result of his courage, Montgomery’s actions demoralized the enemy and inspired his men to defeat the Axis troops.
Ernest Childers. A Creek from Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division. Childers received the Medal of Honor for heroic action in 1943 when, up against machine gun fire, he and eight men charged the enemy. Although suffering a broken foot in the assault, Childers ordered covering fire and advanced up the hill, single-handedly killing two snipers, silencing two machine gun nests, and capturing an enemy mortar observer.
Van Barfoot. A Choctaw from Mississippi, and a Second Lieutenant in the Thunderbirds. On 23 May 1944, during the breakout from Anzio to Rome, Barfoot knocked out two machine gun nests and captured 17 German soldiers. Later that same day, he repelled a German tank assault, destroyed a Nazi fieldpiece and while returning to camp carried two wounded commanders to safety.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. A Winnebago from Wisconsin, and a Corporal in Company E., 19th Infantry Regiment in Korea. On 5 November 1950, Red Cloud was on a ridge guarding his company command post when he was surprised by Chinese communist forces. He sounded the alarm and stayed in his position firing his automatic rifle and point-blank to check the assault. This gave his company time to consolidate their defenses. After being severely wounded by enemy fire, he refused assistance and continued firing upon the enemy until he was fatally wounded. His heroic action prevented the enemy from overrunning his company’s position and gained time for evacuation of the wounded.
Charles George. A Cherokee from North Carolina, and Private First Class in Korea when he was killed on 30 November 1952. During battle, George threw himself upon a grenade and smothered it with his body. In doing so, he sacrificed his own life but saved the lives of his comrades. For this brave and selfless act, George was posthumously award the Medal of Honor in 1954.
