The History of Native of Americans Research Paper

The History of Native of Americans - Research Paper Example They form several tribes and there are around 335 federally recognized tribes in the United States alone, excluding Alaska. The 2011 United States census bureau shows that there are approximately 5.2 million Native Americans. The Native Americans have a rich and diverse culture which date back to their ancestors and their culture has contributed greatly to their wider recognition (Barnes 76). Modern day Native Americans and where they live in the United States Most modern day indigenous Americans live in North America in the United States and Canada. The modernized ones live in large cities with other races and some in the reserves where they farm and hunt. Those who live in reserves have some Indian laws that govern them. For instance, some have tax laws that differ greatly to states taxi laws. In some tribes, alcohol and gambling are illegal and are severely punishable. Even though the Native Americans of the United States are subject to their tribal laws and elect tribal elders wh o lead them, they are still the citizens of the United States and they obey and follow the federal laws of the United States (Bright 31). They also vote just like the other races and can join and serve in the military or police. Studies show that most Native Americans in the United States are still trying to cope with adjustment of civilization and belong to all economical classes from the most primitive to the most sophisticated. Majority of Native Americans have adapted modernity and face the risk of becoming endangered. This is because the children of the Native Americans fail to learn their native language, leading to death of the languages. According to the 2008 census 70 percent of Native Americans live in the urban areas and like to be identified by their tribes such as Cherokee, Beothukm, Inuit, Hawaiian, and Cree Indian among others. Many of them like speaking their languages or maintain their practices even if they are thousands of miles away from their homelands (Carney 2 8). The largest Native American tribe according to the 2006 census was the Cherokee with a population of 331,000, followed by Navajo with 230,000. The economy of the Natives ranges from good to worst, a few have made it affluence particularly those who have utilized natural resources in their lands and those who trade oil and run casinos. The rest of thousands of Native Americans are still in poverty and survive on hunting and small-scale farming (Bright 77). They live at starvation levels and the government of the United States provides aid to support them. The 2006 census shows that the median annual income of a Native American’s household by was $33,132. The revenues of their businesses in 2002 amounted up to $26.4 billion. The percentage of Native Americans living in poverty was 22, while that of the ones with no health insurance was 29 percent. In terms of education, some are highly educated. The 2006 Census shows that the percentage of Native Americans with a high schoo l diploma is 77% while 14 % have a bachelors degree or higher. Majority of these have relocated to the cities where they work to earn their living (Pritzker 67). Some have completely assimilated and even intermarried with the white race and other races. However, some live in complete isolation from other races. The relocation programs run by various organizations and the federal government have considered the Native Americans for jobs in the cities (Carney 47). The Colonial Era The colonization of America by Europeans was encountered by resistance and rebellion from the indigenous people. The Native Americans did not want their lands to be taken or get subjected to alien