Native Americans Today

Today, many Native Americans still live in different parts of the United States. Many of them keep their old traditions. For example, the Zuni still live in pueblos, but now their houses have doors instead of roof holes.

There are about 200 tribes in the United States, with around 400,000 people. But when Europeans first came to America, there were more than 800,000 Native Americans.

Most Native Americans today live on land called reservations. These lands were chosen by the government. Many tribes were forced to leave their homes and move to reservations. Some tribes, like the Zuni, already lived in deserts, so their reservations were set there. But other tribes were moved from rich forests to poorer lands.

On many reservations, people live by farming. But many tribes had never farmed before. So, life is very hard. For a long time, there were laws that did not allow Native Americans to leave the reservations. Now there is no such law, but it is still difficult for people to find work outside.

Schools and hospitals are few on reservations, so education and health care are limited. Many Native Americans choose to stay with their tribes and are proud of their heritage. They remember that they have taught many things to Europeans, including potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cocoa, and vanilla.

Many cities, rivers, and states in the United States have names from Native Americans. Examples are Chicago, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Michigan.