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Introduction, Indians Taxed and Not Taxed in
the United States
Prior to 1846 there was no general law for taking a census of the Indians
within the United States, Thomas Jefferson in 1782 gave a careful analysis of
the location of tribes and their numbers the United States, which then comprised
only the country east of the Mississippi and north of the Floridas.
It will be noticed that Mr. Jefferson made two lists: one of Indians beyond the
United States of that date, part of whom were in territory which is still
outside the United States, based upon the estimates of Croghan, Bouquet, and
Hutchins, and a second of Indians within the limits of the, United States as
bounded in 1782 based upon the estimates of the authorities above named and
Dodge. In his "Notes on Virginia", he writes of the Indian
Tribes as follows:
I will now proceed to State the nations and numbers of the aborigines which
still exist in a respectable and independent form. And as their undefined
boundaries would render it difficult to specify those only which may be within
any certain limits, and it may not be unacceptable to present a more general
view of them, I will reduce within the form of a catalogue of all those within
and circumjacent to the United States whose names and numbers have come to my
notice, Those are taken from different lists, the first of which was given in
the year 1759 to General Stanwix by George Croghan, deputy agent for Indian
Affairs under Sir William Johnson; the second was drawn up by a French trader of
considerable note, residing among the Indians many years, and annexed to Colonel
Bouquet's printed account of his expedition in 1764; the third was made out by
Captain Hutchins, who visited most of the tribes by order, for the purpose of
learning their numbers in 1768; and the fourth by John Dodge, an Indian trader,
in 1779, except the numbers marked * which are from other information.
Indians Northward and Westward of the
United States in 1782 (Thomas Jefferson)
Typed version
Indians Northward and Westward of the
United States in 1782 (Thomas Jefferson)
Typed version
Jefferson did not combine
his compiled estimates into any total. Other
estimates and counts made from time to time
are outlined in the following statement:
Estimates and Census of Indians,
1789-1890
(a), (b), (c)
The estimate made by the
Secretary of War in 1780 applied to the same
territory as covered by Mr. Jefferson's
compilation for Indians within the limits of
the United States as bounded in 1782.
Gilbert Imlay, in his book "Topographical
Description of the Western Territory",
London, 1797, refers to the tables of Indian
population given as estimates by Croghan,
Bouquet, Hutchins, Dodge, Carver, and other
writers, and gives the Indians of the
country "from the Gulf of Mexico on both
sides of the Mississippi, and from thence to
the Missouri and between that river and
Santa Fe, at less than 60,000".
The report of Special Commissioner Jedediah
Morse, in 1822-1824, pages 107-113, was the
first listing of the Indian population north
of Mexico and to the British line, A large
part of the territory considered was the
present state of Texas, not then in the
United States.
Indians In The United
States In 1822.
The following table, from
the report of Rev, Jedediah Morse, special
United States Indian commissioner, June 6,
1822, shows all the Indian tribes within the
limits of the United. States at that time,
including it few tribes not in the United
States, but bordering on the northern and
southern boundaries related to or
intermingling with them, the number of each
tribe, the places of their residence, and
the pages or the report where the tribes are
described. The report gives the names of
about 230 tribes, tentative, of course, with
a total population of 471,447.
Indians in the United
States in 1822 (Jedediah Morse).
Recapitulation
|
Total |
471,417 |
| Indians in
New England |
2,526 |
| Indians in
New York |
5,184 |
| Indians in
Ohio |
2,407 |
| Indians in
Michigan and Northwest
Territories |
28,380 |
| Indians in
Illinois and Indiana |
17,000 |
| Indians in
southern states east of the
Mississippi |
65,122 |
| Indians west
of Mississippi and north of
Missouri |
33,150 |
| Indians
between Missouri and Red
River |
101,072 |
| Indians west
of the Rocky Mountains |
171,200 |
| Indians
between Red River and Rio
del Norte |
45,370 |
Remarks. The average
proportion of warriors to the whole
number of souls is about 1 to 5. In Some
tribes it is more and others less. In
the tribes dwelling among white people
the proportion is about 1 to 3; The
number of men and women in the Cherokee
nation is nearly equal; In the Menominee
and Winnebago tribes the women are a
third more than the men. The number of
children is much greater in proportion
to the whole number of souls in the 2
tribes last named than in tribes mingled
with white people.
In Indian countries where fish
constitute an article of food the number
in each family is about 6; in other
tribes, where this article is wanting,
the average number in a family is about
5.
In 8 years the Winnebagoes increased,
according to the account given by
respectable traders among them, from
3,500 to 5,800.
Estimate of the proportion between
men and women (From Respectable
Authority)
| Indian |
Men |
Women |
| Cherokees |
Equal |
Equal |
| Winnebagoes |
900 |
1,300 |
| Menominees |
600 |
900 |
Proportion of Warriors to the
Whole Number
| Indians |
Warriors |
Whole Number |
Proportion |
| Indians south of Red River |
13,220 |
46,370 |
About 3.5 |
| Winnebagoes |
900 |
5,800 |
About 6.5 |
| Monominees |
600 |
3,900 |
About 6.5 |
| Indians in Ohio |
753 |
2,257 |
About 3.0 |
| Missouri |
7,500 |
30,000 |
About 4.0 |
| On the west side of the Rocky Mts. |
|
|
About 6.0 |
Fishery --About 40 miles
from the mouth of the Columbia River is
a famous smelt and sturgeon fishery;
also abundance of wapatoe, species of
potato, and excellent substitute nor the
real potato. The smelts are taken from
the middle of March to the middle of
April, and at no other time. They are
fat and of good flavor, The Indians dry
and run a stick through a number of them
and use them in the place of candles.
When lighted at the top they burn to the
bottom, giving a clear and bright light,
Captain Winship's Establishment.- Within
a few miles of the spot above mentioned
Captain Winship, of Boston, in the
spring of 1810 attempted to make a
permanent establishment. A difference
arose between him and the Indians, and
after erecting a building he was obliged
to decamp. This building was after wards
carried away by a flood.
In 1825 and in 1829 the Secretary of War
included an estimate of the Indians in
his report, as given on a previous page.
The "Book
of the Indians of North America",
by Samuel J. Drake, has a list of the
principal tribes Of Indians in the
United States, With their locations, in
1832, with an estimated population of
293,933. This list of about 200 tribes
contains many local names.
In 1834 the Secretary of War included an
estimate of Indians in his report, and
in 1836 and in 1837 a similar statement
was published in the report of the
Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
In November, 1840, a memorial was
presented to Congress asking for more
efficient ceases and other features, In
consequence of this, Congress provided
in the fifth section of the act of March
3, 1847, for "a better organization of
the office of Indian Affairs", and to
amend the "trade and intercourse act".
Section 5. And be it further
enacted, That in aid of the means now
possessed by the department of Indian
Affairs, through its existing
organization, there be, and hereby is,
appropriated the suns of five thousand
dollars to enable the said department,
under the direction of the Secretary of
War, to collect digest such statistics
and materials as may illustrate the
history, the present condition, and
future prospects of the Indian tribes of
the United States.
Under this authority, H.
R. Schoolcraft was appointed to collect
Indian statistics, On the transfer of
the Indian office to the newly created
Department of the Interior under the act
of March 3, 1840, the work of
collecting. Indian statistics was
continued. The results of this census
will be found in Schoolcraft's "History
of the Indian Tribes of the United
States", published under the direction
of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
in 6 volumes. In the first volume, page
523, appears an "ultimate consolidated
table" of the Indian population of the
United; States, dated July 22, 1850. The
statement is as follows:
Indians in the United States in
1850 (H. R. Schoolcraft)
| Iroquois
group, complete |
5,922 |
|
| Algonkin
group, incomplete |
17,197 |
|
| Dakota
group, incomplete |
5,015 |
|
| Appalachian
group, incomplete |
5,015 |
|
| |
|
34,704 |
| Total, of
which a detailed enumeration
has been made |
|
|
| Tribes in
the new states and
territories south and west,
now including Texas and
Mexican acquisitions (a) |
183,042 |
| East of the
Rocky Mountains and the
Mississippi, in high
northern latitudes |
167,390 |
| Fragmentary
tribes in the older states |
|
3,153 |
| Total |
|
388,229 |
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a. Mr. Schoolcraft estimates
the California Indians at
32,231 |
In a note appended to the statement Mr.
Schoolcraft says: "There may be, in
addition to these number 25,000 to
35,000 Indians within the area of the
unexplored territories of the United
States".
11th US Indian Census
a This included Texas, not then in the
United States.
b Indians of extreme west apparently not
included.
c The Indian population by this count foots
up 366,925, but by an apparent clerical
error wan printed as 306,475
a The numbers in these tribes are
conjectural, no particular account of them
having been received.
a These tribes live within the ancient
limits of the Oneida territory,
b Part of this number is it mixture of
Ottawas, Chippawns, and Winnebagoes.
c Colonel Dickson, long a resident among the
Chippawas, states their number residing
about the Great Lake at 10,000. Others make
the whole number of the tribe 30,000.
d Major O'Fallon states the number of
Winnebagoes at about 4,000.
Notes About the Book:
Source: Source:
Report on Indians Taxed and Indians not Taxed in the United States, Except
Alaska at the Eleventh Census: 1890, Department of the Interior, Government
Printing Office, Washington DC., 1894
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and
then ocr'd. Minimal editing has been done, and readers can and should expect
some errors in the textual output. Several spellings have been used for the same
tribe of Indians.
This site includes some historical materials that may imply negative
stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place.
These items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be
interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied.
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