Native American Population Patterns

Regional concentration characterizes the distribution of Native Americans. They have been concentrated in the rural American West through three centuries of governmental intervention to create `Indian States. The last four decades have witnessed important changes in the geography of Native Americans. The majority of them are now urban residents and migration and more precise census enumeration have resulted in significant population growth in non-Indian States. In spite of these changes the current patterns of Native American population are only marginally different from the geography consequent to three centuries of governmental intervention in locational decisions. (EXCERPT)