Indian Country Counts -

About NCAI's Indian Country Counts Initiative

The Indian Country Counts campaign is an initiative launched by the National Congress of American Indians to ensure all American Indians and Alaska Natives are accurately counted in the 2010 Census. Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the largest and oldest advocacy organization for American Indians. NCAI was created in response to termination and assimilation policies the U.S. government forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and sovereign status. NCAI promoted unity and cooperation among tribes for the protection of treaty and sovereign rights. NCAI serves as a forum for consensus-based policy development among its membership of tribal governments from every region of the country. NCAI's mission is to inform the public and the federal government on tribal self-government, treaty rights, and a broad range of federal policy issues affecting tribal governments

The Census and Indian Country

The Census is a critical and powerful information source that will significantly influence American policy for the coming decade. The Census is the foundation of American democracy in that it determines the allocation of Congressional seats. It is also used extensively to distribute funds to state, tribal and local governments, and serves as a foundation for policymaking as well as research and program evaluation in think tanks, universities, and at all levels of government.

Since the first six Censuses (from which Indians were completely excluded) through the 2000 Census, myriad challenges have plagued the accuracy of the Census Count for Indian Country. Native people were excluded and/or undercounted for generations, up to and beyond 1962, when the last American Indians were granted the right to vote. In each successive Census since full American Indian enfranchisement, the count of our population has improved. The 2010 Census holds the promise of equity and fairness in that a complete and accurate Census will provide data not only for redistricting and full political representation, but also for the distribution of hundreds of billions of federal dollars.

As tribes partner with the federal government, state governments, and other allies to address the challenges around improving the socioeconomic status and well-being of Native people, accurate and reliable data is paramount. The stark profiles of American Indian and Alaska Native communities that are outlined by the Census, and other data sources, lead tribal leaders and other policymakers to crave more accurate data to guide policymaking.

In 2009, NCAI received funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to partner with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund to create public education and outreach campaign about the 2010 Census in collaboration with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Asian American Justice Center, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (www.civilrights.org/census). NCAI is partnering with these organizations and tribes to develop targeted trainings on the 2010 Census and outreach as it relates to our general members and members in hard to count communities. Historically, American Indians and Alaska Natives are one of the most undercounted groups of any population in the

U.S.

—12.2 percent of Natives on reservations were missed in the 1990 census compared with 1.2 percent of all people in the U.S.

Census data is also the basis for over $1 billion that annually flows into Indian Country to build tribal housing, maintain and construct roads, and provide employment and training programs.

And numbers are power. The data helps American Indians and Alaska Natives build political clout for redistricting and full political representation in Washington.

The support of tribal leaders, activists, volunteers, community leaders, Indian organizations, and intertribal groups is of the utmost importance to ensuring that none of our Native people are missed. Although challenges exist, such as unmarked homes in rural communities, language barriers, unemployment, overcrowding, high rates of home foreclosures, and increased migration of American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Census is too important to ignore.

NCAI's Indian Country Counts initiative includes:

Indian Country Counts website: www.indiancountrycounts.org
- Tribal contacts in each of the 12 Census regions
- Downloadable maps of the U.S. and Census regions
- Events and outreach in each region and tribal communities
- Resources, such as a downloadable tribal tool kit for tribal and community leaders that contains talking points and tips for encouraging taking the Census
- Pledge card for tribal citizens to fill out and receive a free T-shirt, e.g., "I’m Inupiaq and I count"
- Free materials for tribes to engage their citizens and communities in the 2010 Census.
- Links to news coverage from other publications in each of the 12 Census regions in the U.S.
- A multimedia platform to see examples of outreach, such as PSAs, and digital stories about Native people and the Census

E-updates from NCAI on the ICC initiative (sign up at www.indiancountry.org)
Webinars to train tribal volunteers and an archive of webinars.

If you have any questions about this initiative or would like more information about how to be involved, contact Amber Ebarb (aebarb at ncai.org or call 202-466-7767) at the National Congress of American Indians.