ABSTRACT
According to the 1990 U.S. Census, American Indians are the most poverty-stricken group in the nation. A recent Census report indicated that more than half of the Indian households earn less than $20,000 annually and that Indian children are three times more likely to be poor than White children. The statistics further point out that American Indians are the only ethnic group in the United States whose average household income has fallen since 1980. In addition, the report shows that not only do Indian households have the highest poverty rate, they also have the highest unemployment rates in the nation. In response to the report, Alan Parker, director of the National Indian Policy Center, commented:
The poverty on Indian reservations is pervasive and endemic. It’s no secret that the government has not responded in any meaningful way to boost reservation economies or by creating tax incentives or a financial structure to address these problems____It’s been going on for at least 20 years and it’s only getting worse.
