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Originally Posted by jaxfam6
Have you ever been to AZ, NM, NV, WA? let me tell you, there are a LOT of pure Natives here. LOTS and LOTS. I am not saying there are many more that are not pure and yes I do know about the limited amount of blood line needed to be 'card carriers' but there are still A LOT out here.
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Compared to the numbers of the entire nation, they are just a drop in the bucket. And in the area you live in, I'm sure there may seem to be lots. I lived in Wisconsin where there are lots and lots too, but I found out in talking to them that most are NOT pure, yet live on the reservations and get free medical services and don't have to pay taxes.
It's not much different than with black folks who live in this country that didn't come from Africa directly (meaning their families have been here about as long as white folks have). They might be dark and have all the features, but most of them have other races in their background somewhere.
I have Cherokee Indian somewhere. My great-great grandmother was full blooded. I'm not sure what that makes me, but I don't look anymore Indian than I do black, hispanic, or oriental.
My brother, however, could easily pass for an Indian. He's darker skinned, has dark hair, and has the facial features. We've never looked like brother and sister, yet share the same parents.
Without genetic testing, there's no way to know if those people are pure. The census indicates their claim, but it's not foolproof when genetic testing isn't done.
http://www.census.gov/population/www...les/tab001.pdf
That info is really interesting. Seems that about a third of Indians report being mixed with another race. It also seems that Indians, even those who are mixed yet are considered Native only account for about 1% of the US population. This info includes Alaskan Natives as well.
I thought Natives accounted for about 3%. I didn't realize their numbers were that small. I think I know all the Indians from the Stockbridge tribe!! LOL! I know several Oneidas too! Their numbers are smaller, much smaller, than what I'd realized when living in that area.