Indian population in the United States and Alaska. 1910 - RootsWeb

160 INDIANS IN THE UNITED STATES.
husbanda also of full blood of the same tribe, and mixed-blood
women of white and Indian blood, with husbands also of mixed
blood, are considered. It has also been necessary, in order to secure
numbers of any size, to make no distinction of the number of years
married, but to include women married from 1 to 10 years.
TBIBE OB QBOUF.
Cherokee (OHb.)..
Chippewa
Sioiuc(alI)
W. Washington
(mainlj Sal&h)..
Apache
Navajo
Yuman,
PEE CENT BEAEINQ
NO CHILDEEN.
Parents
full hlood,
same
tribe.
7.3
10.3
7.6
3.9
7.9
9.3
17. S
Parents
mixed
(white
and
Indian).
AVESAOE NUMBEB
OF CHILDBEN
BOBNE.
Parents
full blood.
tribe.
3.7
3.7
4.1
4.S
3.7
3.5
2.-2
Parents
mixed
(white
and
Indian).
3.5
4.6
4.1
1 Number too small for computation.
PER CENT SUBVrVmo
OF TOTAL
CHILDREN BORNE.
Parents
full blood,
same
tribe.
71.8
64.2
56.4
56.6
69.4
85.9
81.3
Parents
mixed
(white
and
Indian).
82.0
72.7
77.6
, The most striking points brought out by this table are: (1) That
the tribes (mainly belonging to the Salishan stock) of western
Waahington show the smallest proportion of sterility, and the largest
average number of children borne, but at the same time the next
to the smallest proportion surviving, at least in the case of the full-
bloods; (2) that the Yuman tribes of Arizona and southern California
show the largest proportion of steriHly and the smallest average
number of children borne, but at the same time have next to the
largest proportion surviving; (3) the general agreement between the
full-bloods of the Sioux and Cherokee (of Oklahoma only) in per
centage of sterility and average number of children borne, but
their difference in favor of the latter in regard to the proportion of
children surviving; and (4) that in the case of the Sioux, the usual
increase in the average number of children borne as shown by
the mixed-bloods does not occur.
These and other differences apparent on a study of the figures
for individual tribes are in many ways suggestive both of economic
and possible environmental influences or of actual differences between
different stocks. It is, for example, possibly significant that
the smallest average number of children borne and the largest pro-
portion of sterility occur in the arid region of the southwest,
whereas the largest number of children borne and smallest proportion
of sterility are in the moist coastal regplon of western Washing-
ton, the drier but not arid region of the plains (represented by the
Sioux and Cherokees) falling between these two extremes. Somewhat
similarly, the Southwest shows the largest proportion of children
surviving, the region of western Washington the smallest, with
the plains averaging somewhere in between. These statements are
true only, of course, in a general way, but it is possible that a hot and
arid region of rather deficient food supply, mainly of vegetable ori-
gin, tends to reduce the number of children borne, although it is
favorable to the survival of those children who are bom; whereas,
an equable, moist area,' of abundant food supply (including much
fish, together with game and vegetable products) may tend to a
greater fertility on the part of the women, but be at the same time
less favorable to the survival of the larger number of children borne.
Economic factors are, however, of such weight that much more
abundant materials would be needed before definite conclusions
could be drawn.