Native Americans

[English]

Anyone know how Native Americans vote? I'd guess Democrat, but don't know by how much.
...and which counties do they most influence?

I've noticed a few red blobs in the Dakotas and South West. Is that due to a high native population?

[KEmperor]

I am native to America.  I vote Republican.  If you want to know about American Indians, I really dont know for sure, although I think they tend to vote Democrat.

[English]

Ooops! I meant American Indians.
I thought Native Americans was the PC term?

[migrendel]

To be perfectly accurate, they're immigrants, too. They crossed the land bridge from Asia eleven thousand years ago. In fact, the only real native Americans are skunks and pine trees. But if they want to call themselves Native Americans, I believe we should just go along. I believe minority groups are entitled to come up with their own labels.

[Fritz]

Ooops! I meant American Indians.
I thought Native Americans was the PC term?

You are correct, Native American is the PC term.

[KEmperor]

Ooops! I meant American Indians.
I thought Native Americans was the PC term?

Depends on who you ask.  I personally happen to know some Indians who prefer to be called "American Indians," and do not like being called "Native Americans."

[English]

I used to call them 'Red Indians' but I believe that is racist?

[KEmperor]

I used to call them 'Red Indians' but I believe that is racist?

Yes, I wouldn't call them "Red"

[Beef]

http://img5.exs.cx/img5/9924/NAvoting2000.gif

The areas circled in yellow are Indian reservations, or counties with high Indian populations.

Also, check out the WI historical maps:

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/USPRESIDENT/comparemaps.php?fips=55

That small county in the Northeast corner that is always deep red is the Menominee reservation.

[Beef]

I used to call them 'Red Indians' but I believe that is racist?

Yes, I wouldn't call them "Red"

There was a "Red Pride" movement in the early 70s, similar to the "Black Pride" movement.  But since then, "Red" has been very un-PC.

It hasn't stopped the Washington DC NFL team from still calling themselves the "Redskins."  Although I think they stopped using their fight song with the lyrics "Scalp 'em, swamp 'em -- We will take 'em big score / Read 'em, weep 'em, touchdown! -- We want heap more!" (those were the lyrics as I learned them as a kid in suburban Maryland.

[Josh/Devilman88]

I would think Republicans...

[bgwah]

Just by looking at the maps, counties which are mostly American Indian are heavily democrat.

[PBrunsel]

Jim Thune lost his race for Senate in 2002 by a mere 125 votes from an Indian Reservation.

[Josh/Devilman88]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

[PBrunsel]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

Southern ones are, Midwestern and Western ones are Democrats.

[Josh/Devilman88]

oh well on them

[CARLHAYDEN]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

Southern ones are, Midwestern and Western ones are Democrats.

Actually, it depends upon a number of factors.

Some 'nations' (the correct term) lean Republican at times.  This includes the west.

Generally speaking, the 'indian' vote is pretty low in most places (i.e. low turnout).

[Beef]

I have to wonder if the tendency to vote Democrat among Western Indians stems from all of the Republican administrations in the 2nd half of the 19th century who continually screwed them over.

The southeastern Indians were screwed over by Jackson, though, so it would make sense that they'd vote Republican .

(I'm a teeny-tiny bit Cherokee myself)

[Josh/Devilman88]

I am 45% Cherokee

[PBrunsel]

I am 45% Cherokee

WOW! I am .01% Blackhawk.

[Josh/Devilman88]

I am 45% Cherokee

WOW! I am .01% Blackhawk.

Then I am like 5% Blackfoot, then the other 50% is different type of white

[Beef]

I am 45% Cherokee

WOW! I am .01% Blackhawk.

My maternal grandfather's mother was part Cherokee.  She had jet-black hair.  I'm guessing she was maybe 1/4 or 1/8, which would make me 1/32 or 1/64.

[Josh/Devilman88]

I have jet black hair, tan skin with blue/ green eyes

[cwelsch]

Everybody says they're like 1/32 Cherokee because a long time ago the Cherokee were the most "civilized" tribe and the most socially acceptable.  I don't dispute that anyone is, I just know it's highly exaggerated, and that tons of Americans, especially past the eastern time zone, are like 1/64th Cherokee or something.

I don't know how anyone could be 45% anything, it has to come down to 2 or 4 or 8 or 16, etc., unless you use rounding.


Native American is the mainstream term, American Indian is the distant second place but I've heard many use that term for themselves (eg the American Indian Movement or AIM).  We basically never say aborigine or aboriginal.  Aborigine in America means the Australian ones, and very few Americans know the Canadian term aboriginal.  Some don't care at all, you can say Indian, Injun, whatever.  Red Indian is only said by old people in cliches, and would very likely get a few stares or even a look of surprise.

The Native American habit is to abstain from politics.  Considering the Cherokee sued and won in the Supreme Court for the right to keep their land but Jackson ignored it, then there was a subsequent series of failures, betrayals and then a heaping dose of condescension and welfare, you can't blame 'em.  They're like 1% of the population, almost entirely on reservations.

The only three political Native Americans I can think of right now are:

- Leonard Peltier, who shot some FBI agents in Minnesota or South Dakota and is still in prison.
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the GOP Senator from Colorado who was first elected to the Senate as a Democrat.
- Russell Means, a contender for the 1988 Libertarian presidential nomination.


Plus Bob Barker is 100% Lakota (Sioux) or Cherokee.  I think they prefer, ideally, to be called by their tribal name.

And you have to be careful, most tribes had no name for themselves, so explorers got their names from surrounding tribes.  Since the tribes were often bitter, resentful or at war, the names for the neighboring groups were insults.  "Sioux" actually means snake, little adder or cutthroat, and metaphorically means enemy, so we were calling them Enemy to their face, thinking it was benign.  They each prefer Lakota, Dakota, Nakota and
Wahpeton instead of Sioux.

And Eskimo was a vulgar insult, I think.  They prefer Yupik/Inupiat/Inuit depending on which tribe they are.

[WalterMitty]

Well I know that the Native Americans in NC are Republicans...

election results from robeson county would indicate otherwise.