American Indian Culture and Research Journal

The past two decades have seen over 200,000 American Indian people migrating from rural areas - primarily reservations - to the nation's cities. This population shift has been so marked that nationally nearly half the Indian population now dwells in cities and the number is increasing daily. Undoubtedly, this urban migration has become a major, if not the dominant, influence determining attitudes, values, and behavior of Indian Americans. The magnitude of this migration suggests that the cultural and social consequences generated by it will in the long run overshadow the consequences of earlier government policy of forced removal to reservations. The 1970 census documents the migration, but very little is known of the assimilation of this culturally distinct group of people. Government policy makers and the general public have tended to assume that on ce an American Indian receives vocational training and is relocated in the city he or she is quickly assimilated into middle-class America. In other words, those Indians who "leave the blanket" and go to the city leave their Indianness on the reservation . Bahr (1972), in a review of studies dealing with urban Indians, contends that one unanticipated and unintended consequence of federal relocation programs has been the fostering of pan-Indian activities and a greater emphasis on Indian identity as a mechanism of adjustment to urban life. In addition, Vogt (1957), in an article summarizing the level of acculturation for groups of Indians in various sections of the United States, argues that the acceptance of white material culture is often mistakenly equated with total acculturation. Just because Indians move to the city, live in modern houses, or watch color television does not guarantee that they give up important aspects of their culture, such as native religion, ties to the land, core values, kinship ties, or language. This caution is especially applicable to urban Indians who appear to accept some material aspects of middle-class culture but who may maintain significant portions of their traditional culture. Given the concern about Indian assimilation to urban life, the purpose of this paper is to compare levels of adjustment of samples of Indians and Anglos living in a large metropolitan area (Seattle, Washington) to assess how well Indian migrants have adjusted to urban society.