Stereotype #4 - We All Live On A Reservation

The statement "All Native Americans live on reservations" is a very common, but very incorrect, assumption. Here's why:

• Urban Populations:

  • A significant majority of Native Americans live in urban areas, not on reservations. This has been the case for several decades, and the trend continues.  

  • According to information from sources like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a large percentage of the American Indian/Alaska Native population resides in urban settings.  

• Diverse Living Situations:

  • Native Americans, like any other population group, have diverse living situations. They live in:

    • Cities

    • Suburbs

    • Rural areas

    • And, of course, on reservations.

• Historical and Economic Factors:

  • Many Native Americans have moved to urban areas for:

    • Educational opportunities

    • Employment

    • Other economic reasons.

• Reservation Specifics:

  • It is important to remember that reservations are tribal lands. They are lands that belong to sovereign tribal nations. So living on a reservation, is living within the land of a specific nation.  

Therefore, while reservations are an important part of Native American life and history, they are not the only place where Native Americans live.