So You Think You Can Count Coup in the Concrete Jungle? How Many Native Americans Live in NYC
Forget cowboys and teepees, NYC is where it's at for the modern-day Native American – at least, according to a surprising number of folks on the census. But hold your moccasins, partner, because counting coup (achieving a feat) in the Big Apple ain't as easy as counting coup in the wild wild west.
They Came, They Saw, They Checked the "American Indian" Box (Maybe)
Now, the numbers say there are over 180,000 New Yorkers who identify as Native American, which is pretty darn impressive considering Central Park is the closest most of us get to a wilderness experience. That's 2% of the entire city, which means you're bound to run into a descendant of Pocahontas on the subway (though, statistically speaking, she's probably more likely to be scrolling through TikTok than rescuing John Smith from anything).
But here's the plot twist (and where things get a little wild): that number might be a tad…inflated. Apparently, some folks with ancestry from, say, India, might accidentally check the "American Indian" box. Census forms, who knew, were trickier than navigating a Brooklyn flea market.
So, How Many Real-Deal Native Americans Are We Talking About?
Now, this is where things get a bit fuzzy. There's no definitive answer, but anthropologists estimate the number of Native Americans in NYC who can trace their roots back to the original inhabitants of the area (the Lenape people, for those keeping score) to be around a few thousand. That's a far cry from 180,000, but hey, a few thousand warriors in a concrete jungle? Now that's a force to be reckoned with.
The Takeaway: NYC's a Melting Pot, Not a Pow-Wow Ground
So, while NYC might not be overflowing with teepee-dwelling braves, it's still a place where cultures from all over converge. Maybe you won't stumble upon a vision quest in Washington Square Park, but you might just learn a thing or two about different heritages, and that's a pretty cool thing in a city that never sleeps (or naps, apparently).
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