Being an Indian in America

Are there benefits to becoming a member of a federally-recognized tribe? It depends. Some tribes distribute money to members based on the success of their business ventures (often casinos, sometimes oil).

However, as a general statement, most tribal members belong to a depressed portion of American society. For example, compared with the nation as a whole, American 1995 Census data suggest

• Tribal families are less likely to be composed of married-couples: 65.8 percent to 79.5 percent
• Tribal members (age 18-14) are less likely to have graduated from high school: 63.2 percent to 76.5 percent
• Tribal families are more likely to have no one in the family working: 14.6 percent to 13.0 percent
• Tribal families have a lower median income: $21,619 to $35,225
• Tribal families are much more likely to live below the poverty line: 27.2 percent to 10.0 percent

These are, however, reasons that individuals (and tribes) wish to be recognized by the Federal government. There are business assistance programs not unlike the Small Business Administration. Tribes can operate casinos, and many have used this business model to make money for the tribe and serve as an employer for interested tribal members.

Then there is the issue of preferential hiring policies, which is the reason that Colorado Professor Ward Churchill has managed to raise visibility of what it means to be an Indian in America.

Agencies
There is a patchwork of agencies overseeing the Federal government's relationship with the 562 federally-recognized tribes (pdf) and an additional patchwork at the state level. The federal list includes (not an exhaustive list):

• American Indian Council (Dept. of Agriculture)
• American Indian Data (Dept. of Commerce, Census Bureau)
• Bureau of Indian Affairs (Dept. of Interior)
• Committee on Indian Affairs (US Senate)
• Indian Health Services (Dept. of Health and Human Services)
• National Indian Gaming Commission
• Office of Tribal Justice (Dept. of Justice)
• Veteran Affairs

In May, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (Chairman, Sen. McCain (R-AZ) ) is considering Senate Joint Resolution 15, which "acknowledge[s] a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer[s] an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States."

The resolution is sponsored by Sen. Brownback (R-KS) ; co-sponsors include Committee members Sen. Akaka (D-HI) and Sen. Inouye(D-HI) as well as Sen. Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Cochran (R-MS), Sen. Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Dorgan (D-ND).