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International Journal of
Population Studies Indian Census Rolls: Data for U.S. tribes

meaning that the AIAN populations on reservations and This paper presents background information on the
in “unsettled” areas of land were not counted in the initial Indian Census Rolls, which includes changes that occurred
censuses that started in 1790. As indicated by the fact that in how the information was gathered over time along with
counts of the AIAN populations on reservations were not the accuracy of this information. It also demonstrates
done until 1850, it was the “conquest” of “unsettled areas how the digitized microfiche census roll schedules can
of land” by the non-AIAN population and the forced be assembled into an Excel file (that serves as a future
relocation of AIAN populations onto reservations that led template). The paper further provides examples of what
to a substantial increase in the number of reservations. these Indian Census Rolls can provide by: (1) Presenting
This, in turn, led to the emergence of tribal census counts an extracted summary of demographic information for the
because they were needed to manage the reservations by Lummi tribe from its 1937 Indian census roll; (2) discussing
the elements of the federal bureaucracy that oversaw them. a long-term population forecast a tribe (Hopi) based on the
It was not until 1924 when the Indian Citizenship Act of tribe’s 1937 roll; and (3) providing an age-gender “backcast”
1924 was passed and went through litigation that the AIAN for the Hopi tribe from 1940 to 1900 using data from the
population was routinely counted in the decennial census. same roll. We conclude that Indian census rolls not only
This process, however, did not start until the 1940 decennial help fill the 1900 to 1940 gap in the historical demography
census; and for the 1950 census, the Bureau of Indian Affairs of American Indians but also provide the basis for a clearer
requested a separate schedule to enumerate reservation picture of American Indians from 1940 to 1970 as well as
areas (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021a). Implementation of their current and future demographic characteristics.
the mail-out/mail-in census questionnaire in 1970 meant
race and tribal affiliation became self-reported, which led 2. Indian Census Rolls
to more people identifying themselves as AIAN in census 2.1. History and contents
counts (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021a).
The act of Congress 1884 did not specifically state that
An information gap exists in U.S. census data from the annual report had to include the names and personal
1900 to 1940 in the demography of American Indians information of tribal members. A year later, a directive
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2021a; National Archives, n.d.). came out that specifically stated that the annual report had
However, another source of American Indian information, to include name, gender, age, and household relationship.
known as the “Indian Census Rolls,” was produced for One important change in the Indian Census Rolls occurred
the period 1885 – 1940 (National Archives, 2014). The in 1930 concerning tribal members who did not live on the
Indian Census Rolls are not as well known, as familiar, reservation, which led to those living off the reservation
and as easily accessed as decennial census data and, in our being counted. Residents of the reservation in question
opinion, have been underutilized as a source of historical who were enrolled on another reservation were to be
American Indian demographic information. These rolls recorded on the other reservation’s tribal roll.
were generally submitted annually (National Archives,
1967). Many of the 692 rolls are available from the National The earliest Indian Census Rolls were handwritten,
Archives except the rolls for 1940. The information found but eventually, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs issued
in the available rolls usually includes the English and/ instructions that the information had to be typed, not
or Indian name of the person, roll number, birth date handwritten, and in accordance with a standard template
and age, gender, tribal identity, and relationship to the and procedures for reporting those not listed in the
household head. In 1930, they started reporting Indian preceding year. The rolls continued along these lines from
blood quantum, marital and ward status, and whether the 1921 to 1940, when, with a few exceptions, tribal census rolls
subject lived on the reservation in question. It is crucial stopped being assembled. This occurred because, under the
to note that not all reservations or tribes were counted Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, tribes were encouraged
annually and that only enrolled tribal members are fully to specifically set up a constitution that gave recognized
listed in the rolls (National Archives, 2014). Some tribes, criteria for determining membership and enrollment.
particularly those in the Eastern U.S., have never been
under Federal jurisdiction. Furthermore, because many 2.2. Accuracy
persons with some degree of Indian blood did not maintain Despite the guidance and instructions, there were
tribal connections, their names do not appear on the rolls. continuing inaccuracies as to who was listed in an Indian
For the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma (Cherokee, census roll, and a given roll may not be a list of all those
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole Indians), there who were officially considered “enrolled.” Some tribes
is only an 1885 census of the Choctaw Indians (National started using a given census roll as a basis for determining
Archives, 2014). membership eligibility in that a member has to show lineal

Volume 11 Issue 1 (2025) 27 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3906