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Biggest Native American tribes in the US today


Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Biggest Native American tribes in the US today

American Indian Movement members and supporters joined to watch and participate in a Pow Wow to honor the AIM Warriors of Wounded Knee.

It’s commonly believed that the first people arrived in North America during the Ice Age when they ventured across the Bering Strait between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Over time, they dispersed across the continent and into South America, establishing distinct tribes, territories, and cultures. Waves of people likely continued to arrive at different times and by different means, with some researchers arguing that humans traveled to South America and the West Coast via Pacific routes.

When Christopher Columbus and other explorers sailed to North America, they sought to colonize the Native Americans’ territory and claim it as their own. Through decades of wars and treaties, Native Americans have had a complicated, painful history with European colonists. As they were experts in the North American landscape and its resources, Native Americans were able to build a strong economy based on trade with the Europeans. But as colonial presence grew and Manifest Destiny rhetoric set in, westward expansion sponsored by the U.S. government pushed Native Americans out of the land they had known for generations. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act, which forced many tribes from their ancestral lands and pushed them west onto reservations. About 100,000 Native Americans were forcibly removed under this policy.

Though some customs and traditions have been lost to colonization, war, and missionary efforts, many tribes still maintain a unique identity that honors their rich ancestral history.

In celebration of the robust history of North America’s ancestral people, Stacker used 2020 estimates from the Census, the most comprehensive recent population report on the United States’ Native American population, to compile a list of 50 of the largest Native American tribal populations in the country today.

As of the 2020 Census, about 2.3 million people identify exclusively as Native American or Alaska Native in the United States. Another 4.3 million people identify as Native American or Alaska Native in combination with other races and ethnicities. The tribes are ranked based on the number of people who identify as members of this tribe alone or in any combination.

For example, someone who is Cherokee and white would be included in the Cherokee population. The list also includes people who identify as each tribe in combination with other Native American groups (e.g., Apache and Navajo), as well as people who identify solely as a member of one Native American tribe. Native American groups unconnected to specific tribes (e.g., Mexican American Indian, Canadian, and French American Indian) are not included on this list.

The Census Bureau’s data tracks identity for tribes more generally as well as specific nations. As a result, certain indigenous groups may appear multiple times on the list, like Cherokee and the Cherokee Nation. Some tribal populations cited below, including Micmac and Inca, represent migration from countries outside of the U.S., such as Canada, Peru, and the like. Other groups like Taino are indigenous to the Caribbean including the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Read ahead to see the country’s most prominent Native American tribes.



jet 67 // Shutterstock

#50. Aleut

Summer view of the fishing village Unalaska, Alaska.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 13,805
– Tribe alone: 4,878



Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

#49. Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona

The grounds of the Casino Del Sol Hotel on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 13,810
– Tribe alone: 10,703



starryvoyage // Shutterstock

#48. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Man poses for a photo wearing Eastern Band of Cherokee ceremonial clothing.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,090
– Tribe alone: 8,075



jaimie tuchman // Shutterstock

#47. United Houma Nation

Sunset reflecting in a lake through cypress trees.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,116
– Tribe alone: 7,817



Arno Burgi/picture alliance via Getty Images

#46. Oneida

Members of the Oneida Indian Nation smile at a festival.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,302
– Tribe alone: 5,740



Jemal Countess // Getty Images for Nez Perce Tribe

#45. Shoshone

Shoshone-Bannock elder Nathan Small speaks during the Salmon Orca Summit IV.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,552
– Tribe alone: 4,090



Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

#44. Pueblo

A Zuni Native American plays a drum in a ceremony in Gallup, New Mexico.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,578
– Tribe alone: 4,340



Ken Duffney // Shutterstock

#43. Menominee Indian Tribe

Singers and drummers at the Annual Menominee Nation Pow Wow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 14,682
– Tribe alone: 8,389



Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#42. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota

Aerial view of Eagle Butte.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 15,175
– Tribe alone: 10,064



meunierd // Shutterstock

#41. Micmac

Lennox Island Mi’kmaq Culture Centre.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 15,253
– Tribe alone: 2,577



Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Capture Studio Group // Getty Images

#40. Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation

Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of Gila River Indian Community attends event at Gila River Resorts & Casinos.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 15,301
– Tribe alone: 13,697



Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

#39. Cheyenne

Asantea Eagleface, of the Cheyenne tribe, poses for a portrait during the Two-Spirit Powwow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 15,820
– Tribe alone: 3,382



Paul McKinnon // Shutterstock

#38. Cree

A group of Cree youth that walked 1600 kilometers from Whapmagoostui.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 16,749
– Tribe alone: 2,059



ehrlif // Shutterstock

#37. Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Kewadin casino located in Christmas, Michigan.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 17,252
– Tribe alone: 8,415



Jan Sochor // Getty Images

#36. Mixtec

A Mixtec indigenous woman sits on the flower-decorated grave at a cemetery during the Day of the Dead celebrations.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 17,278
– Tribe alone: 12,274



fckncg // Shutterstock

#35. Shawnee

Shawnee Tribe Of Oklahoma Flag.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 17,525
– Tribe alone: 2,162



Rob Hainer // Shutterstock

#34. Seneca Nation of Indians

Exterior facade of the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 20,025
– Tribe alone: 6,412



David Ryder // Getty Images

#33. Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota

Nikk “Red Weezil” Dakota celebrates during Indigenous Peoples’ Day events at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 20,059
– Tribe alone: 13,046



Goldilock Project // Shutterstock

#32. White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona

Overlook of the Becker Butte and the Salt River in the Fort Apache Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 20,116
– Tribe alone: 15,429



Helen H. Richardson // The Denver Post via Getty Images

#31. Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Nathan Chasing Horse of Rosebud leads the color guard during the 37th annual Denver March Pow Wow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 20,462
– Tribe alone: 15,319



ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

#30. Tarasco (Purepecha)

twelve members of the recently elected Purepecha indigenous council, display a Purepecha flag.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 21,800
– Tribe alone: 10,785



ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

#29. Crow Tribe of Montana

Leonard Bends gives a blessing at the APEC Ministerial Meeting welcome reception in Big Sky, Montana.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 22,151
– Tribe alone: 11,014



Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

#28. Tlingit

A Tlingit tribe elder in traditional dress in the village of Kake, Alaska.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 22,601
– Tribe alone: 7,792



Lijuan Guo // Shutterstock

#27. Hopi Tribe of Arizona

Blue Canyon on the Hopi Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 22,921
– Tribe alone: 12,412



Lisa Rapko // Shutterstock

#26. Delaware (Lenni-Lenape)

Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape’s 40th annual Pow-Wow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 22,946
– Tribe alone: 4,461



Phillippe Diederich // Getty Images

#25. Iroquois

Tia Smith, a Cayuga/Iriquois at the opening of the 20th annual Gathering Of Nations PowWow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 24,918
– Tribe alone: 1,916



Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#24. Tohono O’odham Nation of Arizona

Aerial view of Mission San Xavier del Bac in the Tohono O’odham Nation Indian Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 25,895
– Tribe alone: 19,451



lev radin // Shutterstock

#23. The Osage Nation

Members of Osage Nation attend premiere of the movie ā€˜Killers of the Flower Moonā€™ in New York.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 29,049
– Tribe alone: 8,250



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#22. Inca

Manch Picchu Inca Ruins in Peru.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 31,367
– Tribe alone: 13,305



mark reinstein // Shutterstock

#21. Potawatomi

Kansas governor Laura Kelly is presented with a ceremonial blanket by members of the Prairie Band Of The Potawatomi Nation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 33,722
– Tribe alone: 11,358



Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images

#20. Oglala Sioux Tribe

Dylan Ashley, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe dancing at the Denver March Powwow.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 35,507
– Tribe alone: 25,212



Alina Reynbakh // Shutterstock

#19. Mohawk

Dancers take part in Kahnawake 26th Annual Echoes Of A Proud Nation Pow Wow in Kahnawake reserve.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 36,144
– Tribe alone: 8,522



Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

#18. Seminole

Welcome to Seminole Tribe, Brighton Indian Reservation sign.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 37,879
– Tribe alone: 7,189



Universal Images Group via Getty Images

#17. Comanche Nation, Oklahoma

Group of dancers at an event.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 39,808
– Tribe alone: 12,388



Maxim Studio // Shutterstock

#16. Yaqui

Flag of Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 40,732
– Tribe alone: 17,048



Moab Republic // Shutterstock

#15. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Entrance to the Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 47,955
– Tribe alone: 25,088



George Rose // Getty Images

#14. Cherokee Nation

Flag of the Cherokee Nation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 77,232
– Tribe alone: 31,432



BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP // Getty Images

#13. Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Dancers at an event.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 79,424
– Tribe alone: 54,293



David McNew // Getty Images

#12. The Chickasaw Nation

Chief Phil Lane of the Yankton Dakota and Chickasaw First Nations speaks at a Climate Change Rally.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 85,511
– Tribe alone: 29,436



JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images

#11. Taino

Jorge Baracutay Estevez speaks about Taino culture at Indigenous Peoples Day in Newton, Massachusetts.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 112,682
– Tribe alone: 28,346



Daniel Koglin // Shutterstock

#10. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation

Two women pose for portraits at a traditional Muskogee Creek nation stomp dance in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 121,581
– Tribe alone: 40,677



ROBYN BECK/AFP // Getty Images

#9. Sioux

Flags of Native American tribes at Dakota Access Pipeline protest encampment.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 126,571
– Tribe alone: 30,408



Jim Parkin // Shutterstock

#8. Apache

Salt River Canyon within the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 129,589
– Tribe alone: 36,492



TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP // Getty Images

#7. Chippewa

Dawn Madahbee performs a spiritual circle dance during the opening ceremony of the inaugural First Nations Economic Opportunities Conference.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 130,048
– Tribe alone: 39,057



Brett Deering // Getty Images for Disney

#6. Choctaw

Choctaw Nation dance performance during the Echo – Choctaw Powwow Special Screening Event.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 255,557
– Tribe alone: 69,454



kavram // Shutterstock

#5. Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana

Sign at entrance to Blackfeet Nation Reservation.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 297,899
– Tribe alone: 34,810



Aleksandar Todorovic // Shutterstock

#4. Maya

Tzotzil Maya people selling traditional clothing pose in San Cristobal, Mexico.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 300,519
– Tribe alone: 180,359



Paul Harris // Getty Images

#3. Navajo Nation

A Navajo Chief poses for a portrait at an annual gathering in Window Rock, Arizona.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 423,412
– Tribe alone: 315,086



Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images

#2. Aztec

Pre-Hispanic dancers in the Zocalo in Mexico City on the occasion of the Mexica New Year 11 Carrizo.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 583,981
– Tribe alone: 387,122



Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

#1. Cherokee

Cherokee Native American poses at Pow Wow Festival.

– Tribe alone or in any combination: 1,513,326
– Tribe alone: 214,940

Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire.


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