More Latinos identify as Native American, census shows

[alp227]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- When Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard filled out her census form last year, she checked the box for Latino, and for the first time, she also checked the box for Native American.

It had taken her more than 30 years -- plus research and genetic testing -- to discover her ties to the indigenous Taínos of Puerto Rico, to claim her identity and re-learn what she thought she knew of her history.

She's not the only one. Since 2000, the number of Hispanics who identified themselves as Native American grew from 407,073 to 685,150, according to the 2010 census.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/30/latino.native.american/index.html

[aquart]

1. Cool.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Huge Indio presence.

No shame.

In fact, huge respect.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. K&R

Good to see this!

[Kahuna]

4. Good for them. I've always wondered why they haven't done this

ages ago.

[Cool Logic]

5. If you were born in the US, you are a Native American.

[sce56]

6. But we all came from Africa!

[SemperEadem]

10. but you aren't necessarily an indigenous American...

hence the difference.

[Lance_Boyle]

15. Who are the indigenous Americans?

Homo Sapiens Sapiens are indigenous to Africa. Whichever of them ended up in the Americas throughout time are immigrants.

[SemperEadem]

7. well, that's precisely what they are...

Spanish speaking indigenous Americans. They can trace their lineage back beyond the 1400's, most likely. They weren't Moorish Iberians who came over with the Spanish.

[sce56]

8. Always have done that!

My fathers family female chromosome map from the Genome Project.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. I agree with the classification.

You start with the heritage and borders don't change your heritage. Indiginous tribes around North America can't be easily designated as Hispanic because their location of origin was south of Texas.

[Solly Mack]

11. :)

[jwirr]

12. While this is a good thing I am wondering how this is going to effect

the things that are determined by the census when it comes to Native American reservations? All people who are counted in the census help to determine how money and other items from the US gov. are distributed to certain areas.

[dtexdem]

13. And there is a major anti-indio stigma in Mexico.

If some of the Latinos are from Mexico and now identifying with native roots, that is especially to the good.

[MorganaSeawalker]

14. Native American and White

It would be interesting to know how many mixed White and Native American checked both boxes. The last two census I checked both, Chricahua Apache and White.

[Lionessa]

16. I only found out five years ago my grandfather was born & bred in Nicaragua

So though I didn't know it before, I'm of Latino decent. Also finding that out and knowing about the Nicaraguan debacle in the mid-50s explains a lot about why they (my grandparents) left the states right about then leaving their two high school age kids behind. After they left, my grandmother made regular trips back to the states, she was born and bred in Calif.. But my grandfather only set foot on US soil one time after that, the only time I ever met him. Anyway, now a lot of that makes sense. Apparently my grandfather was a Nicaraguan persona non-grata in the US though I've nothing to solidly confirm that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. Okay, I need clarification.

Is she reaching that conclusion because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the U.S.A.?

Or is that designation now open to anyone with genetic Indian background, including the Cunas in the San Blas Islands of Panama?

I never realized that the designation went beyond the North American Indians. So this is pretty cool.

[sarcasmo]

18. This Cherokee checks that box, good for her to get genetic testing done.

[Devil_Fish]

19. Technically speaking (and I have talked to more then one person who do this) If you were born in USA

You are a Native American.