Montana, the fourth-largest state in the United States by area, is home to more than 100,000 Native Americans, seven Indian reservations, and eight federally recognized tribes. [1] [2] Of all Native Americans in Montana, which make up 9.3% of the state's population, 62.85% live on one of the seven reservations. Native Americans are recognized by the state as a vital part of Montana's economy. Montana, as well as reservations and tribes, is home to a total of eleven native languages.
| Language | Also known as | Number of native speakers | Areas language is spoken in besides Montana | Endangerment category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assiniboine | Assiniboin, Hohe, Nakota, Nakoda, Nakon, Nakona, Stoney | 150 | Saskatchewan | CR (Critically Endangered) |
| Blackfoot | Siksiká | 2,900 | Alberta | DE (Definitely Endangered) |
| Cheyenne | Tsėhesenėstsestȯtse | 380 | Oklahoma | DE (Definitely Endangered) |
| Crow | Apsáalooke | 4,160 | N/A | DE (Definitely Endangered) |
| Gros Ventre | Atsina, Aaniiih, Ananin, Ahahnelin, Ahe, A’ani, ʔɔʔɔɔɔniiih | 0 | N/A | CR (Critically Endangered) |
| Kutenai | Kootenai, Kootenay, Ktunaxa, Ksanka | 345 | British Columbia, Idaho | SE (Severely Endangered) |
| Lakota | Lakhota, Teton, Teton Sioux, Lakȟótiyapi | 2,100 | North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota | DE (Definitely Endangered) |
| Salish–Spokane–Kalispel | Séliš language, Kalispel–Pend d'oreille, Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead, Montana Salish, Séliš, Npoqínišcn | 70 | Idaho, Washington | CR (Critically Endangered) |
| Ojibwe | Ojibwa, Ojibway, Otchipwe, Ojibwemowin, Anishinaabemowin | 50,000 | Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota | SE (Severely Endangered) |
| Plains Cree | Nēhiyawēwin | 3,200 | Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta | VU (Vulnerable) |
| Stoney | Nakota, Nakoda, Isga, Alberta Assiniboine (formerly) | 3,025 | Western Canada | VU (Vulnerable) |
The Gros Ventre language, despite having zero alive native speakers since 2007, [3] is not considered extinct. The language is trying to be revitalized and currently has 45 self-identified speakers. [4]
Montana is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan to the north. It is the fourth-largest state by area, but the eighth-least populous state and the third-least densely populated state. Its capital is Helena, while the most populous city is Billings. The western half of the state contains numerous mountain ranges, while the eastern half is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands, with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state.
The Lakota are a Native American people. Also known as the Teton Sioux, they are one of the three prominent subcultures of the Sioux people, with the Eastern Dakota (Santee) and Western Dakota (Wičhíyena). Their current lands are in North and South Dakota. They speak Lakȟótiyapi—the Lakota language, the westernmost of three closely related languages that belong to the Siouan language family.
Browning is a former town and current Census-designated place in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and was the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census.
Poplar is a city in Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. It is the tribal headquarters for the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, though Wolf Point is the most populous. The reservation is home to both the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, two distinct American Indian Nations.
Sčilíp is an unincorporated community in Sanders County, Montana, United States. As a census-designated place (CDP), it is known by its previous name of Dixon. It is a part of the Flathead Indian Reservation. The population was 221 at the 2020 census.
The Poospatuck Reservation is a Native American reservation of the Unkechaugi band in the community of Mastic, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is one of two Native American reservations in Suffolk County, the other being the Shinnecock Reservation. The population was 436 at the 2020 census.
The Chippewa Cree Tribe is a Native American tribe on the Rocky Boy's Reservation in Montana who are descendants of Cree who migrated south from Canada and Chippewa (Ojibwe) who moved west from the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota in the late 19th century. The two different peoples spoke related but distinct Algonquian languages. They are federally recognized as the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation.
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is a federally-recognized tribe of Puyallup people from western Washington state, United States. The tribe is primarily located on the Puyallup Indian Reservation, although they also control off-reservation trust lands.
The Tulalip Tribes of Washington, formerly known as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. They are South and Central Coast Salish peoples of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their tribes are located in the mid-Puget Sound region of Washington.
The Fort Mohave Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation along the Colorado River, currently encompassing 23,669 acres (95.79 km2) in Arizona, 12,633 acres (51.12 km2) in California, and 5,582 acres (22.59 km2) in Nevada. The reservation is home to approximately 1,100 members of the federally recognized Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California, and Nevada, a federally recognized tribe of Mohave people.
The Red Lake Indian Reservation covers 1,260.3 sq mi in parts of nine counties in Minnesota, United States. It is made up of numerous holdings but the largest section is an area around Red Lake, in north-central Minnesota, the largest lake in the state. This section lies primarily in the counties of Beltrami and Clearwater. Land in seven other counties is also part of the reservation. The reservation population was 5,506 in the 2020 census.
The L'Anse Indian Reservation is the land base of the federally recognized Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of the historic Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians.. The reservation is located primarily in two non-contiguous sections on either side of the Keweenaw Bay in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The Keweenaw Bay Community also manages the separate Ontonagon Indian Reservation.
The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe is one of six federally recognized bands of Ojibwe people located in present-day Wisconsin. It had 7,275 enrolled members as of 2010. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation in northwestern Wisconsin, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles. The main reservation's land is in west-central Sawyer County, but two small plots of off-reservation trust land are located in Rusk, Burnett, and Washburn counties. The reservation was established in 1854 by the second Treaty of La Pointe.
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The reservation includes lands on both sides of the Missouri River. The tribal headquarters is in New Town, the 18th largest city in North Dakota.
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 1.6 million acres and a population of 12,429 people as of the 2000 census. The largest community is in Whiteriver.
The Hannahville Indian Community is a federally recognized Potawatomi tribe residing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of Escanaba on a 8.5755-square-mile (22.210 km2) reservation. The reservation, at 45°46′59″N87°25′23″W, lies mostly in Harris Township in eastern Menominee County, but small parts are located in northeastern Gourley Township, in Menominee County, and in Bark River Township in adjacent southwestern Delta County.
The Ho-Chunk Nation is a federally recognized tribe of the Ho-Chunk with traditional territory across five states in the United States: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The other federally recognized tribe of Ho-Chunk people is the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The tribe separated when its members were forcibly relocated first to an eastern part of Iowa known as the Neutral Ground, then to Minnesota, South Dakota and later to the current reservation in Nebraska.
South Dakota is the 46th-most populous U.S. state; in 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated a population of about 884,659. The majority of South Dakotans are White, and the largest religion is Christianity. In 2010, 93.46% of the population spoke English as their primary language.
Modern social statistics of Native Americans serve as defining characteristics of Native American life, and can be compared to the average United States citizens’ social statistics. Areas from their demographics and economy to health standards, drug and alcohol use, and land use and ownership all lead to a better understanding of Native American life. Health standards for Native Americans have notable disparities from that of all United States racial and ethnic groups. They have higher rates of disease, higher death rates, and a lack of medical coverage.