Alaska Natives Urged — Down to the Wire — to Return Census Forms

Tribes and Native organizations made a last-ditch effort on Thursday to urge Alaska Natives to return their U.S. Census forms before the April 16 deadline.

As of yesterday, only 57 percent of Alaskan households had returned their Census forms, putting the state in last place in terms of participation rates, according to the U.S. Census.

Organizations like the National Congress of American Indians and the First Alaskans Institute were encouraging Alaska Natives to take action.

“As Alaska Natives, we must participate in the Census, even if we think it is an inconvenience or intrusive; the link is too important to ignore — turning in your census form leads to funding for important services for our peoples, and it impacts our political voice in state lawmaking,” said Elizabeth Medicine Crow, vice president of the First Alaskans Institute and director of the Alaska Native Policy Center, in a press release issued yesterday by the National Congress of American Indians.

“This is one of the opportunities for Indian Country to be heard,” said Jacqueline Johnson Pata, NCAI’s executive director. “For states like Alaska, which depend on the data for housing and other services, it’s so vital to get an accurate count.”

Native Americans Encouraged to Participate in Census

National and tribal leaders and the U.S. Census Bureau are putting extra effort into encouraging Native Americans to participate in the 2010 Census count.

“The goal of the 2010 Census is to paint a Portrait of America and each and every Native person who is counted makes a huge difference in ensuring the face of Indian Country is truly a part of this portrait,” said Derek Valdo, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Southwest Area vice-president, at a news conference last Thursday during a 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour stop in Albuquerque.

Valdo was among several national and local tribal leaders and U.S. Census officials touting the importance of participating in the count.

Valdo, along with Amadeo Shije, U.S. Census Tribal Partnership Coordinator of the Denver Region, encouraged tribes to participate as the data is used extensively for the distribution of funds to state, tribal and local governments. It forms the basis for more than $1 billion that flows into Indian Country.

NCAI has joined with the National Call to Action with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which is made up of the Asian American Justice Center, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, the NAACP and other national organizations.

NCAI has created the Indian Country Counts campaign, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, to ensure an accurate count of all Native people.

The Indian Country Counts strategy includes a Web site with a downloadable tool kit for tribes, news about the Census, contact information for federal workers, Census job postings, updates from the Census Bureau, a discussion board and stories about the Census across Indian Country.

Census 2010 Kicks Off in Small Alaska Native Village

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 count kicks off today in the remote Alaska Native village of Noorvik, according to an Associated Press article published today.

Census Bureau Director Robert Groves is flying to Noorvik, located in the northwest region of state and with a population of 650 Inupiat Eskimo, the article said.

Villagers have prepared a day of festivities, including traditional dancing and feasting, at the community’s school, which Groves will travel to via dog sled.

Census workers and trained local workers are expected to spend a week interviewing residents. One of the first to be counted will be the community’s oldest member, Clifton Jackson, who is also a World War II vet.

To learn more about Census 2010, go to: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

November: American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month

November 2009 is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. A little history: The U.S. Census Bureau states that the first American Indian Day was observed in May 1916. Later, President George H.W. Bush designated November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month” when he signed a joint congressional resolution.

For American Indian and Alaska Native population facts, please click here to view the U.S. Census Bureau’s “Facts for Features.”

AI/AN-owned Farms up 88 Percent

Information from the 2007 Census of Agriculture is now available for 73 American Indian reservations, including reservation-level information on agricultural production, economics and demographics for individual farms.

The Census counted 79,703 American Indian and Alaska Native farmers operating 61,472 farms and ranches, up 88 percent from 2002, significantly outpacing the 7 percent increase in U.S. farm operators overall.

The 2007 Census of Agriculture marks the first time the USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) has attempted to collect census forms from individual farm and ranch operators on American Indian reservations in every state, which accounts for the steep increase in American Indian farmers.

"In the past, a reservation was counted as a single farm. Now, each individual farmer or rancher on the reservation is counted, providing a truer picture of agricultural activity on our nation's American Indian reservations," said Carol House, deputy administrator for NASS.

During the 2002 Census of Agriculture, NASS conducted a pilot project to collect and publish reservation-level data for individual farms and farm operators on 19 reservations in Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota.

"Because of the success of this project, we significantly expanded our efforts in 2007, collecting data from farm and ranch operators on American Indian reservations in every state," House said.

The publication, along with all other 2007 Census of Agriculture publications and results, is available online at www.agcensus.usda.gov or by calling (800) 727-9540.