November 6, 2012 is national Election Day and the Native Vote campaign launched a national grassroots media campaign to spread the message that Every Native Vote Counts!

One of the most anticipated days this November is the national Election Day on November 6, 2012. As citizens of both the United States and their respective tribal communities, Native voters – American Indians and Alaska Natives – participate in voting and express their voice, and their vote, in tribal, national, state, and local elections.

National Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6) and Veterans Day (Sunday, Nov. 11 – this year the federal holiday will be observed on Monday, Nov. 12) are important days on their own, but also serve as especially important parts of Native American Heritage Month because each illustrates the important voice and place Native peoples have in North American culture, politics, and within the American family of governments.

Students from Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Montana promote the Native Vote. The video is a recent piece by the Native entertainment group the 1491’s. In the description of the video the 1491s encourage Native people to “USE YOUR VOICE!” 

Tribal nations are America’s first governments and American Indians and Alaska Natives played a key role in inspiring and establishing American democracy. Yet as citizens of the United States, the rightful place of tribal citizens at the ballot box has all too often been denied. While still one of most under-registered group of voters in the United States, heightened political participation in Indian Country has proven recently that the Native Vote is an increasingly powerful group of voters. In recent years, the Native Vote has been publicly acknowledged as making a difference in national, state, and local elections.

That’s why Native Vote, a nonpartisan campaign initiated by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), encourages American Indian and Alaska Native people to exercise their right to vote and protect this right for all Native Americans. It is an important component of NCAI’s ongoing work to revitalize civic engagement in Native communities. Native voter participation has been a focus of NCAI’s work since the organization was established in 1944, at a time when Native people were citizens but many states still denied them the right to vote.

This year Native Vote has launched the “Every Native Vote Counts” campaign to mobilize the Native Vote. The campaign works with a network of grassroots organizers in tribal communities across the Nation to provide Native Voters with the tools, information, and motivation to make sure their voice count in this year’s election. The four main aspects of the campaign (Registration and Get Out the Vote, Election Protection, Education, and Data) all play an integral role in the campaign’s goal to turn out the largest Native Vote ever. Despite decades of voter disenfranchisement, and existing challenges such as voter ID laws, Native Voters will turn out in full force for the 2012 elections to illuminate and strengthen the voice of Indian Country. 

From its inception in 1944, NCAI played an important role in advancing the rights of Native people at the ballot box, passing two resolutions at its first convention calling for voting rights for American Indians in Arizona and New Mexico. In the 1948 Trujillo v. Garley case the United States District Court of New Mexico struck down limitations in the New Mexico Constitution that prevented American Indians living on the reservation from voting. This case compelled New Mexico, one of the last hold-out states, to remove voting restrictions affecting American Indians living on reservations.

Native people in Maine did not receive the right to vote in national elections until 1954 or in state elections until 1967. Native people in Colorado faced literacy test requirements and were some of the last to be enfranchised in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited these sorts of voter eligibility requirements.

In the lead up to the 2010 Census, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and many tribal partners conducted a significant outreach campaign, called “Indian Country Counts,” to increase Native political participation and government investment in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples. In analyzing the latest 2010 Census data, one thing is very clear about Indian Country: Native young people do count, and will count in the future.  

American Indians & Alaska Natives in the Total Population

Figure 1

The Census collects data on the size of the American Indian and Alaska Native population “alone” and “in combination” with other races. In 2010, the Census counted 2,932,248 AI/AN alone people, and 2,288,331 AI/AN in combination, for a total of 5,220,579 AI/AN alone or in combination persons and an overall increase of 27 percent from the 2000 Census. 

American Indians & Alaska Native Youth in the US Population

The AI/AN population from birth through age 24 makes up 42 percent of the total AI/AN population; whereas the under 25 population for the US is only 34 percent of the total population.  Of the total 2010 AI/AN population, the Census reports that there are 888,372 American Indians and Alaska Natives under 18 who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) alone. That number rose to 1,651,224 for Natives who identified in combination with other races. This means that about 32 percent of Natives are under the age of 18, compared to only 24 percent of the total population who are under the age of 18.  The median age for American Indians and Alaska Natives on reservations is 26, compared to 37 for the entire nation. Figure 2 below displays a population pyramid comparing the AI/AN population’s age distribution (on the left in red) to the total US distribution (on the right in blue).

Table 1

Figure 2

There is a large bubble in the 15-19 age group for the AI/AN population, so even more Native young people will be able to vote in the next few years and will likely be headed to college or other advanced education and training pathways.  

So what was happening between 1991 and 1995 when this large group of American Indian and Alaska Native youth were born? A Harvard study[1] of 1990 and 2000 US Census data, that analyzed Indians living on reservations, showed that rapid economic development was taking root among non-gaming and gaming tribes alike. In the same decade, AI/AN family poverty rates dropped by seven percentage points or more in non-gaming areas, and by about 10 percentage points in gaming areas; and inflation-adjusted per capita income grew 2.5 times faster for Indians on reservations than for the US population at large.

American Indian & Alaska Native Youth in the State Populations 

Some states have larger American Indian & Alaska Native youth populations than others. One of the most striking is South Dakota, which has a very young Native population. Of the 71,817 American Indians in South Dakota, nearly 40 percent are under 18 years old (see Figure 3).

 Figure 3

State-level data displays of this sort can provide a sense of where the critical mass of Native youth are across the US and can encourage state leaders in certain states to understand how American Indian and Alaska Native youth demographics are important in their region.

Educational Attainment

According to the American Community Survey 2005-2009 estimates, 44 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives over 25 had attended at least some college. Twenty-four percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives had not finished high school or alternative and 12.8 percent had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 27.5 percent of the US population. 

The experiences of young people who live on reservation, trust land, in Oklahoma statistical areas, or in Alaska Native villages also have diverse experiences with education and attainment. When the AI/AN population is broken out by geographic component (see Figures 4 and 5), Native people in Alaska Native village statistical areas had the smallest percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher, with four percent. However, much progress has been made. In Alaska, for example, the number of Natives who received four-year college degrees more than tripled between 1980 and 2000. 

The children of Indian Country are making their way through schools, colleges, training programs, and  the workforce, all while carrying their cultural traditions. Although disparities in achievement still exist, there is a much to celebrate, such as the growing cadre of second-generation Native college graduates, whose parents had received their own degrees. As we celebrate Native Heritage Month, we also look forward to the unique perspectives and contributions that our young people will share with the rest of the nation now and throughout their lives.

[1] Taylor and Kalt, American Indians on Reservations: A Databook of Socioeconomic Change Between The 1990 and 2000 Censuses, HPAIED, January 2005.

November 10, 2011

Drum circle during the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion powwow at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, 2004. Photo by Master Sergeant Chuck Boers (Lipan Apache/Oklahoma Cherokee, b. 1964). Gift of Sergeant Debra K. Mooney and members of the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion. D00142

The next time you visit the museum on the Mall in Washington, stop and take a look at three new cases opposite the entrance to the Mitsitam Cafe. Honoring Indian Traditions in a Combat Zone is a small but important exhibit that tells the story of the powwow organized in 2004 by Sergeant Debra Mooney (Choctaw) and the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion in Iraq.

Held at the Al Taqaddum Air Base near Fallujah, the two-day event featured Native regalia, dancing and singing, and traditional games and foods, including genuine fry bread. Participants made their powwow drum from a discarded 55-gallon oil barrel and canvas from a cot. The goal of the powwow was to bring a piece of home to Native Americans serving in Iraq while sharing their cultural heritage with fellow soldiers, marines, and sailors.

American Indians have served in the U.S. military since the American revolution, and by percentage they serve more than an other ethnic group. If you can't be in Washington this weekend, a Native community closer to home is no doubt observing Veterans Day. If home is anywhere near Okmulgee, Oklahoma—coincidentally, headquarters of the the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion—you're particularly in luck: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a special exhibition featuring Native American servicemen and servicewomen.

Native Words, Native Warriors—produced by NMAI and the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and on view at the Veterans Affairs Services building at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Complex—tells the remarkable stories of Native American soldiers who used their Native languages as battlefield codes during World Wars I and II. These soldiers came from many tribes: Assiniboine, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Chippewa, Choctaw, Comanche, Cree, Crow, Dakota Sioux, Hopi, Kiowa, Lakota Sioux, Menominee, Meskwaki, Muscogee, Navajo, Oneida, Pawnee, and Seminole. Best known are the Navajo code talkers of World War II, whose history has been popularized in documentaries and feature films. But as early as October, 1918, during World War I, eight Choctaw soldiers serving in northern France used their language to save other Allied soldiers' lives.

The exhibition at Okmulgee is enriched by extensive displays of Muscogee veterans' mementoes, awards, uniforms, and documents, as well as historic photographs and accompanying texts that recognize the contributions of Muscogee members of the U.S. Armed Forces. An honor guard will be present at the exhibition opening on Veterans Day. The exhibition is on view through February 29, 2012. 

Looking ahead, on December 2, Debra Mooney will be at NMAI in Washington to take part in a program about Native American soldiers' experiences during wartime. She will be joined by Chuck Boers (Lipan Apache/Cherokee), an Iraq War veteran (and participant with Sgt. Mooney in the Al Taqaddum Inter-Tribal Powwow), recipient of two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts; John Emhoolah (Kiowa), a Korean War veteran who joined the Oklahoma Thunderbird Division while he was still in high school; and Joseph Medicine Crow (Apsáalooke [Crow]), a World War II veteran who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Attorney Justin Giles (Muscogee [Creek]), a Vietnam War veteran, will moderate the discussion. Herman J. Viola, curator emertius at the Smithsonian, will chronicle the roles of Native soldiers from 1770 to the present.

If neither Washington nor Okmulgee is in your travel plans this year, the December presentation will be webcast live. In the meantime, have a wonderful, grateful Veterans Day.

Illustrations:

Upper: Marine radio messengers on their way to Okinawa, Japan, 1945. Left to right: Private First Class Joe Hosteen Kelwood (Navajo), Steamboat Canyon, AZ; Pvt. Floyd Saupitty (Comanche), Lawton, OK; and Private First Class Alex Williams (Navajo), Leupp, AZ. Courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lower: Drum, stand, and drumsticks, 2004. Metal, canvas, wood, commercially tanned leather, plastic, nylon cord, adhesive tape, metal nails. Made by members of the U.S. Army's 120th Engineer Combat Battalion, headquartered in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and used during their Al Taqaddum Inter-Tribal Powwow, September 17–18, 2004, in Al Taqaddum, Iraq. Gift of Sergeant Debra K. Mooney and members of the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion.

“That’s My People” depicts the truly inspirational power of Native youth. The PSA, produced by Buffalo Nickel Creative (the same people who brought us Smiling Indians and Geronimo E-KIA), was filmed during the July 2011 National Intertribal Youth Summit, hosted by multiple government agencies including the White House at the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico. During the summit, youth attendees discussed key issues, and met with government officials to brainstorm substantive solutions. Throughout the summit, participants dedicated time to both star in and help film the PSA, which proudly recounts the true stories of Native people from across the country. The PSA reflects the diversity of tribal youth, the pride they take in their heritage, and their strength and motivation to enhance their communities.

During group sessions, tribal youth reflected on what they want to change and strengths they are proud of in their community, ways in which they can make this change, and who they identify as their heroes. Over the course of several days, Native youth worked together with the production crew to relay these powerful messages of positivity, forming one voice to tell the story of tribal communities through the eyes of Native youth. As depicted by this PSA, youth had clear ideas of the issues and challenges within their communities, but equally clear ideas for solutions and ways that community strengths can drive these solutions.

“That’s My People” sheds light on the situation of youth in Native communities today, conveying a strong sense of unity between young people from the many diverse traditions and histories throughout Indian Country. This video serves to show how Native youth, provided with strong guidance, a forum to express themselves and important resources, have the ability, motivation, and a uniquely powerful energy to inspire monumental change.

This past summer the White House announced the White House Office of Public Engagement launched the Native American Youth Challenge program.  In a video message, President Obama announced the challenge at the 2011 UNITY Youth Conference, calling for young American Indian and Alaska Native leaders to submit their stories of leadership and service in their communities. 

While the deadline for submitting entries has passed, the Native American Youth Challenge looks to be a major part of the Heritage Month activities in Washington, DC.  As part of the announcement the White House mentioned on their blog that "As a part of the challenge, a handful of exceptional Native youth community leaders will be invited to the White House this fall in conjunction with the activities of Native American heritage month."  

The White House has done a significant amount of outreach to Native youth including the First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! in Indian Country, initiative.