Native Americans

by

Hilary N. Weaver

Introduction

Native Americans are the descendants of the original inhabitants of what has become the United States. As indigenous peoples who retain vestiges of sovereignty, they are not the equivalent of other ethnic or cultural groups, thus some laws and social policies apply only and specifically to this population. Readers should be aware that the definition of “Native American” used by one source may not be applicable to another. Each Native nation (or tribe) has the ability to determine criteria for membership in that nation. Some Native nations are not recognized by the federal government, thus their members may not be acknowledged as meeting the definition of Native American for purposes of programs like the Indian Child Welfare Act. In some cases states have extended recognition to Native nations within their boundaries that do not have federal recognition and have extended state laws and policies to cover these groups. There are approximately four million Native Americans in the United States, representing 1.4 percent of the population. Slightly more than half of these people list their race as only American Indian or Alaska Native, while the remainder report being another race in addition to being American Indian or Alaska Native. There are currently more than 560 federally recognized tribes within the United States. The largest Native American nations are the Cherokee (331,000) and the Navajo (230,000) (United States Census Bureau 2007 in Introductory Works).

Introductory Works

While not all of these references are specific to the field of social work, these publications provide a good overview of Native Americans and issues of interest to social workers. Jaimes 1992 provides important contextual information for helping professionals and identifies numerous issues in need of advocacy. While the book is a bit old, the information presented is still of value. Weaver 1999 consists of reprinted articles published as a special edition of Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 1999 (2.1–2). Day and Weaver 1999 examines the many health issues facing American Indians. Hart 2003 outlines how helping professionals can incorporate aboriginal approaches into the helping professions. Ogunwole 2002 presents census data in a narrative format. The hard data are available through United States Census Bureau.

• Day, Priscilla A., and Hilary N. Weaver, eds. 1999. Health and the American Indian. New York: Haworth.

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  Examines issues such as historical trauma, gambling, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Human Genome Project, and how American Indian ethnicity interacts with health care. The editors are an Anishinaabeg social worker and a Lakota social worker. Most chapter authors are also Native American social workers. Published in the Journal of Health and Social Policy 1999 (10.4).

• Hart, Michael. 2003. Seeking mino-pimatiswin: An aboriginal approach to helping. Blackpoint, NS: Fernwood.

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  Reviews how social work and other helping professions have applied Eurocentric approaches to helping that have disregarded and undermined indigenous ways and values. Written by a Cree social worker.

• Jaimes, M. Annette, ed. 1992. The state of Native America: Genocide, colonization, and resistance. Boston: South End.

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  Provides key information on laws, policies, and historical developments that have influenced 21st-century Native Americans. Topics include the political nature of early indigenous population estimates, issues of sovereignty in a colonial context, and rights to natural resources.

• Ogunwole, Stella U. 2002. The American Indian and Alaska Native population: 2000. US Bureau of the Census.

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  This brief narrative provides an accessible overview of census data on Native Americans. The material includes information on residential patterns, age, education, and other demographic information. The sizes of various Native populations and changing demographic patterns are identified.

• US Census Bureau. 2007. The American community: American Indians and Alaska Natives; 2004.

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  This census document presents an overview of Native Americans with data from the American Community Survey conducted in 2004. The report includes information on demographics and social, economic, and housing characteristics. The data cited are slightly newer but not as detailed as those in Ogunwole 2002. Available online.

• Weaver, Hilary N., ed. 1999. Voices of First Nations peoples: Human service considerations. New York: Haworth.

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  Topics include adolescent gambling, cultural identity, women’s recovery from alcoholism, preventing alcohol use among urban youth, the impact of out-of-home placement, critiquing measurement tools, addressing historical trauma, health concerns for youth, homelessness, and urban issues. Chapters are written primarily by Native authors.