Latinos Outnumber Native Americans In Oklahoma

Latinos now outnumber Native Americans in Oklahoma, a state that has marketed if not truly valued its Native American heritage. The Native American Times (via AP) reports that, with recent Census data, Latinos have come to compose 9% of the state’s population, with Native Americans behind with only 8.5%.

Over the past decade, the number of Hispanics has nearly doubled from 179,304 in 2000 to 332,007 in 2010. Hispanics now account for 9 percent of the state’s 3.75 million residents, compared to 8.5 percent for Native Americans…

Oklahoma’s history has been linked to Native Americans decades before it gained statehood in 1907. It is home to dozens of sovereign tribes, many forced from their homes along the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. It’s also the birthplace of iconic cowboy and humorist Will Rogers, a member of a prominent Cherokee Nation family who was born in Indian Territory that later became the state.

While the 85 percent population spike has allowed Hispanics to become the state’s largest minority, the population of people identifying themselves solely as Native Americans increased from 273,230 in 2000 (7.9 percent of all Oklahoma residents) to 321,687 (8.5 percent) in 2010.

When all combinations of mixed-race people are included, over 12 percent of Oklahomans claim some level of Indian ancestry.

As I wrote previously, Latinos are going to affect the rest of the country even as they themselves become more “Americanized.” Although Oklahoma does have a long history of honoring its Native American ancestry (at least on paper, from what I’ve heard and read it’s still a pretty racist state in some places), it could be that Latinos drifting into that state would also identify with their Native roots — albeit Mexican Native roots. This could, in some way, boost Oklahoma’s Native American culture.

On the other hand, it could also detract from the state’s focus on Native American culture and shift that to Latinos. However, I’d like to point out that there’s no good reason the two can’t co-exist. The narrative is always that “this minority is displacing that minority” when the truth of the matter is that there can be both. There’s no good reason there can’t be both — other than the fact that “the powers that be” will only allow one group to play the “minority” when it comes to allocating resources.

Let’s hope the people of Oklahoma are able to make the third option — purposeful co-existing of cultures — work.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD.