http://www.ncidc.org/census/census.html will direct you to more census information WASHINGTON (AP) - Confronting American Indians' historic feelings of wariness or anger toward the federal government, the Census Bureau is seeking help from tribal leaders and residents on reservations to ensure they get a more accurate count of the Indian population. Hiring more American Indians to ask questions and get answers from those living on their own reservations may not completely erase those feelings, but the Census Bureau and advocacy groups hope it will give them a clearer picture of their population and open better lines of communication. In 1990, the Census Bureau estimates it missed about 4.5 percent of the American Indian population; the national rate was 1.6 percent. More alarming to the National Congress of American Indians is that an estimated 12.2 percent of all Indians living on reservations were missed. On the 17 million-acre Navajo Nation reservation that sprawls across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, about one in eight Navajos were not counted in 1990. And the tribe is determined not to let that happen again. Part of the problem in Navajo country and other reservations was that census workers in 1990 were relying on outdated maps, and may have been unaware of tribal customs, said Jack Jackson Jr., director of governmental affairs for the National Congress of American Indians. ``We've created an alliance with the Census Bureau where the Navajo nation has profound control over the count, by way of hiring our own Navajo people to go out and enumerate, and the maps for enumeration were created by Navajo chapters,'' said Mellor Willie, spokesman for tribal president Kelsey Begaye. The Navajo government estimates there are about 250,000 Navajos today. Willie said the Navajos missed out on $110 million in federal funding in the 1990s because of the undercount. ``I don't think a lot of Navajo people within the last census count knew this was helping in their communities,'' Willie said. To counter that, the Census Bureau sought more input from tribal governments five years ago , said Tom Beavers, partnership specialist for the regional census center in Kansas City, Mo. ``When we hire now, we want to hire people who live in their own communities to work in their own communities, and we have told Indian leaders in our communities that,'' said Beavers, himself an American Indian, who in his job works with reservations in Oklahoma and Minnesota. ``The tribes know how important it is to get a good census,'' he said. He noted that the temporary census jobs also help with unemployment rates that tend to be higher on reservations. Federal programs distributed to American Indians based on census data include the Native American Employment and Training Programs, grants to local education agencies for Indian education, and family violence prevention and services. Meanwhile, some tribes are donating money to help promote the census. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe gave a $30,000 grant to the city of Mount Pleasant, Mich., for such a cause. Saginaw Chippewa spokesman Frank Cloutier said his reservation suffered a 33 percent undercount in 1990. ``We attribute it to unawareness, and naturally concern with people of having anything to do with the federal government,'' he said. ``Now that relationship is very positive and growing.'' Not everything has gone smoothly though. Earlier this month, leaders on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana threatened to arrest census workers after complaints that local census managers failed to keep him informed of hiring decisions and other business on the reservation. Gene Grant, census liaison for the Blackfeet tribe, rescinded that order and said things have worked more smoothly since then. Others like Brenda Boyd, census liaison for the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa in Onamia, Minn., complain that at times, there is too much red tape in getting simple answers from regional census officials. Everyone agrees, though, that they are better off than in 1990. ``This census is much better. Last time, the count was way off,'' Boyd said. -- André Cramblit, Operations Director The Northern California Indian Development Council ( http://www.ncidc.org ) NCIDC is a non-profit organization that helps meet the social, educational, and economic development needs of American Indian communities. NCIDC operates a fine art gallery and gift boutique featuring the best of American Indian Artist's and their work, with emphasis placed on the work of the Tribes of N.W. California. (http://www.ncidc.org/gift/gifthome.htm#anchorgift)