fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

Opinion. Photographer Edward Curtis spent 30 years photographing American Indians. In 1904, Curtis published “The Vanishing Race,” considered his signature piece. It became the underlying reason for him to continue capturing photographs of American Indians before, in his mind, they became a people relegated to history.

Even President Theodore Roosevelt, a supporter of Curtis’s efforts, thought American Indians were “perishing” and sent Curtis a letter that said “the Indian, as an Indian, is on the point of perishing, and when he has become a United States citizen, though it will be a much better thing for him and for the rest of the country, he will lose completely his value as a living historical document.”

While American Indians were not made United States citizens until 1924 through an act of Congress, the Census Bureau in 1900 enumerated the American Indian population as being 237,200. Estimates of the Indigenous population were as high as 112 million in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Other experts say the number was closer to eight million. Regardless, the 1900 Census figure of less than a quarter million convinced those at the turn of the century that the American Indian population would disappear.

This week, the 2020 Census reported that the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives is on the rise, which reminds me of the Mark Twain quote about “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”

This good news is backed up by data released Thursday showing the American Indian and Alaska Native population, when counted alone and not combined with any other race, was 3.7 million, which is 1.1 percent of the total population of the United States. In 2010, there were 2.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The growth rate over the past decade was a 27.1 percent increase.

More surprising, the American Indian and Alaska Native population, when combined with other races and ethnicities, rose an astounding 160 percent from 2010 to 2020. The combination population was 9.7 million people — or 2.9 percent of the total population — up from 5.2 million in 2010.

Even with the Indian Country increase in population, some pretend Curtis was correct and believe the American Indian vanished. This is what leaders of the South Dakota Department of Education believe and what they want K-12 students of their state to think.

News broke this week that the state’s education department eliminated 18 Indigenous-centered learning objectives from social studies standards in the curriculum of K-12 students recommended by a workgroup of 46 educators from around the state selected by the Department of Education. More specifically, the department scratched all mentions of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate, otherwise known as the People of Seven Council Fires or the Sioux Nation.

“I was disappointed, but not surprised to learn of the changes to the state standards. It is a blatant attempt to minimize and devalue the important contributions of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) to the history of South Dakota and the region more generally,” South Dakota state Sen. Red Dawn Foster (Lakota/Dine’) told Native News Online. “This is also a failure to recognize the significant electoral power of Natives in South Dakota. We must make our voices heard, loud and clear in every election or continue to be at the mercy of mean-spirited partisan politics.”

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier condemned the Department of Education’s actions.

“Unfortunately, the bureaucrats and politicians who commissioned the workgroup gutted the portion of the curriculum regarding our Indigenous people,” Frazier said. “There is so much that must be taught to the children in order for them to understand the world they will inherit, and it begins with an understanding of one another. Removing the important lessons of who we are, where we came from and why things are the way they are, robs every young mind of the necessary understandings to overcome the hurdles of conflict, genocide, and historical trauma,” Frazier said in a statement.

Chairman Frazier hits harder farther into his statement: “Our children were stolen from us in a past generation, forcefully assimilated or secretly buried in boarding schools under the “kill the Indian and save the man” ideologies, and it would seem that the task to erase them has not ended…”

Erasure of American Indians from history is nothing new.

With our growing population, our voices must be amplified with concerted outrage to stop the politics of erasing Native people and our culture.

More Stories Like This

Double Down on What Works: Invest in Native CDFIs, Don’t Eliminate Them
The Big Ugly Bill Attacks Tribes, Our Lands, and Our Rights
Native Mascots Don't Honor Our Ancestors. They Harm Our Children.
Modernizing the Path to Homeownership in Indian Country
The Future is Bright for Cherokee Nation Health Services at Claremore

Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions

At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.

The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.

Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.

This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.

We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.

Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.

Levi headshotThe stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.

Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.

Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher

 
 
About The Author
Levi Rickert
Author: Levi RickertEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Levi "Calm Before the Storm" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at [email protected].