There are currently 6.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau, which projects that population group rising to 10.1 million on July 1, 2060. They would constitute 2.5% of the total populations.
The estimated number of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native civilian veterans of the U.S. armed forces in 2017 total 141,438.
The U.S. has recognized 573 Indian tribes last year, the Census Bureau said, noting November is American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month.
The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, rode horseback from state to state to get endorsements from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994, and we now refer to this celebration as “American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.”