The 1990 census count of American Indians: what do the numbers really mean?

Despite self-identification of race the 1970 and 1980 United States censuses each contain overcounts of the American Indian population. This paper examines the 1990 count in order to determine if such error persists. Several sources of demographic data are employed in finding evidence of an overcount that varies by age and geographic region but not sex. Available evidence suggests international migration changing racial identification and inconsistent reporting of race on birth certificates death certificates and the census are responsible for this disagreement between the enumerated and estimated American Indian population. (EXCERPT)