Doug Patterson... <A HREF="http://www.census.gov/">US Census Bureau Home Page </A> I took this from the website..www.census.gov...................-- American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. 1. Categories and Definitions The minimum categories for data on race and ethnicity for Federal statistics, program administrative reporting, and civil rights compliance reporting are defined as follows: -- American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. (If you notice, it says maintains community attachment also) I was told during our seminar at the Denver Indian Center , by an official census taker giving the seminar, Mary Red Shirt,...that this census is NOT based on being enrolled in a tribe..it is strictly geographical....there are many many Indians, who LOOK indian, who were raised INDIAN, who lived on the reservations, who WERE NOT "enrolled" with their tribe...there was one young lady who is genetically connected to five different tribes by family, who is not enrolled with ANY tribe...is she to consider herself NOT indian???? as for me and my boyfriend, David was adopted as a child, and after many years of backbreaking research, just now HAS enrolled, this Saturday as a matter of fact, with the Chiricahua Apache on the Mescalero Reservation..as head of household, he can include me as an American Indian...but even if he couldnt, i can prove my Blackfeet ancestry if need be...we were emphatically told by Ms. Red Shirt that if the head of household registers as an American Indian, everyone "in the household" can be counted at an American Indian...as for being overcounted...that is ridiculous! just the opposite is true..in 1990, Indians were grossly UNDERCOUNTED, and lost many benefits for housing, medical care, and education...it is not a matter of collecting funds for oneself by claiming to be indian...(to collect any sort of recompence or money you MUST be enrolled...)the census is to COUNT American Indians as a whole to determine the number of Representitives we have, to determine a critiria for housing, medical and education help.. as for me using the term "we"...I think anyone claiming to be Native American should back this statement up by getting involved in Indian matters, and by standing up to be counted as Native American..in other words...put your money where your mouth is...respectfully...kris