San Marcos Record, San Marcos, TX

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  • Dr. Mario Garza, board chair, Indigenous Cultures Institute, performs at 2009 Earth Day Celebration at Aquarena Springs. Rene Renteria

    Dr. Mario Garza
March 2, 2010

Hispanics can claim Native American heritage in 2010 Census

San Marcos — Local Native Americans are beating the drum to get the word out that Hispanics can now honor their indigenous ancestry in the 2010 Census.

Indigenous Cultures Institute in San Marcos, Texas has launched an education campaign to inform Hispanics how to register their ethnic heritage in question eight, as well as their Native American racial identity in question nine of the Census survey.

"The Census survey asks you in question eight if you are Hispanic and what kind, such as Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and several others" says Dr. Mario Garza, board chair of the Institute.  "And in question nine, they ask what race you are, white, Black, Asian or American Indian."  Garza says that if Hispanics have knowledge that they have Native ancestry from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, they can check "American Indian" as their race.

Question nine also asks for the enrolled or principle tribe. 

"If you don't know your tribe, enter 'unknown' or 'detribalized native'," Garza said.

"Most Mexican Americans only know that their abuelos or great grandparents were Native people from Mexico, but they don't know what tribe. Puerto Ricans, on the other hand, know that their tribe is Taino, so they'll enter that tribal name." 

The Institute is educating Hispanics on how they can complete the form by providing visual examples in flyers and on their  web site.  They are also urging people to mail their surveys before April 1.

But why is the Institute intent on helping Hispanics to register their Native ancestry with the Census?  First and foremost Institute representatives state that the Hispanic's indigenous identity was stolen through the Spanish colonization process and other social and political circumstances.  Now they have an opportunity to reclaim their Native ancestry through this official and government sanctioned Census. 

"Years ago we were told in school that we should classify ourselves as 'white'," says Institute board member Maria Rocha.  "This was an erroneous instruction and we now have a chance to correct this misinformation." 

The Institute also provides lectures that explain how Hispanics came to reject their Native American heritage and embrace the Spanish-European identity.

 The Census Bureau cites the importance of the survey because the collected data is used to determine: 1) allocation of more than $400 billion in federal money to states and communities; 2) locations for retail stores, schools, hospitals, new housing and community facilities; 3) boundaries for state and local legislative and congressional districts.  Indigenous Cultures Institute is a Census 2010 Partner.

For more information, visit www.IndigenousCultures.org

 

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