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

At the census of 1910, as at several preceding cen-
suses, inquiry was made, on both the general popula-
tion and special Indian schedules, as to whether the
person enumerated was able to read and as to whether,
he was able to write in any language, not necessarily
English. Answers to these questions were required
only for persons 10 years of age and over. For this
report, as for the general reports on population, the
Bureau of the Census has classified as illiterate all
persons imable to write, regardless of abiUty to read.
What constitutes abihty to read and write is partially
a matter of judgment, and there is undoubtedly a cer-
tain margin of error in the returns, particularly with
respect to Indians. Nevertheless, the returns are
probably the most accurate so far made, and may be
accepted in fair comparison with other data and as
between tribe and tribe or group and group, as the
case may be.
Illiteracy, 1910 avd 1900.—^At the census of 1910
there were 188,758 Indians 10 years of age and over,
and of this number 85,445, or 45.3 per cent, were iUit- •
erate. Of the 171,552 Indians 10 years of age and
over at the preceding census, that of 1900, the illiterates
numbered 96,347, or 56.2 per cent. . These figures
show, therefore, not only an absolute decrease of
10,902 in the number of illiterate Indians, but a pro-
portional decrease of nearly 11 per cent—45.3 in 1910
as compared with 56.2 in 1-900.
Table 84
ILLITERACY.