Kris Mundrick, age 10, of Jersey Shore, Pa., for her question:
HOW MANY INDIANS ARE LIVING IN NORTH AMERICA TODAY?
When Columbus landed in what is now known as the West Indies, he thought he was in India, so he called thepeople he met Indians. But there is no word in the Indian languages which resemble the word Indian. Today,many Indians living in North America refer to themselves as Native Americans. These natives probably came to the Americas from Asia 20,000 years ago.
Today it is often difficult to tell just who is an Indian. In the United States, the Bureau of the Census counts as Indians only those who declare themselves to be Indians. In Canada, Indians may legally give up their Indian status and no longer be considered Indians. And in Latin America, a person's economic class rather than his ancestry often labels him an Indian.
In Canada today, more than 250,000 are registered as Indians by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
Many Canadian Indians have given up their status as Indians. When they do this, they receive a share of the band's trust fund and give up all legal rights as Indians. Indian women who marry non Indian men lose their Indian status, as do the children of these marriages.
Most of the Canadian Indians live on one of the country's more than 2,200 reserves. The government is responsible for their education, housing and medical care. All of them, however, are free to settle wherever they like.
In the United States there are about 800,000 Indians. Free to live in any location they select, about half elect to make their homes on a reservation. Many prefer this way of living so they can practice and preserve tribal customs and ways of life.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency of the Interior Department, manages about 285 federal and state reservations, most of which lie west of the Mississippi River.
Recently Indians in the United States have gained greater control of the federally supported schools their children attend so education programs can be developed which are better suited to their needs.
About 20 million Indians live in Latin America. Millions more are part Indian. More than half of the people in Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala are Indians or have mixed ancestry.
In many Latin American countries Indian commissions have been established to help improve Indian health and also to teach the people new skills so they can raise their economic standards.
Government officials in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala have been working with the United Nations to revive Indian arts and crafts.