Becky Graham, age 10, of Williamsport, Penna., for her question:
Which state has the most Indians?
We share this fair land of ours with about a quarter of a million of the original Americans. They are galled Indiana because Columbus thought he had found India when he discovered the New World. Naturally, he called the people he found already living there Indians. The early explorers went on calling them Indians in South, Central and North America even after they found out that this was not India.
Most of our original Indians live on reservations and most of the reservations are in the sunny southwest. The state of New Mexico has the largest of the reservations a vast tract of 16 million acres which belongs to the Navajo tribe. Many of the charming Navajos are shepherds some are ranchers and some are farmers. They are very skilled weavers of fine wool rugs and they make jewelry of silver and turquoise. There are smaller reservations for the Apaches and the Utes. Altogether,, New Mexico is home to mare than 33,000 of the original Americans.
In 1834* all of Oklahoma was set aside as Indian Territory and so it remained for 55 years. Then the area was opened up for homesteading and white men came to mingle with the native Indians. The history of Oklahoma is a glorious tribute to Indians and white men working together to develop the country. Today, more than 42,000 Indians come and go on the reservations of Oklahoma.
The warm and beautiful state of Arizona is home to a still greater number of Indians. Here there are fourteen different reservations. The largest number of Arizona Indians belong to the Navajo tribe. There are also Apache, Hopis and Zunis. The life of the gentle Hopis is wrapped up in farmwork. Even their tribal dances and their fine jewelry show their interest in Nature and the changing seasons. If you ever visit Grand Canyon, you will have a chance to see a sample of these tribal dances. The charming Zunis are rather shy but they make up for this by producing the loveliest of all jewelry. It is made from shells and stones worked in smooth patterns of shiny tiles.
Arizona is home to the largest number of Indians. More than 50,000 come and go on the sunny reservations there. Oh, yes, the Indians can leave their reservations whenever they choose. Many of them do leave and take their chances with the rest of us. And, chances area you would not recognize an Indian if you saw one. He might be that actor. that truck driver that man working high up there on a construction job. Even if you met him on his reservation you cannot always be certain he is an Indian. Dressed as any rancher or any school teacher, hardly anyone could tell.