Hispanic Population Myth
By Kurly Tlapoyawa ©2000
For years now, so-called demographic experts have been telling us that Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, with an estimated population of around 31 million people. Whether this ridiculously overblown estimate is part of a calculated misinformation campaign or merely the result of ignorance on the part of demographers is beside the point — because it is utterly and completely wrong.
When the enlightened folks at the census bureau decided that it was their right to label (or more accurately, mislabel) people according to ethnic heritage — they instituted a practice which many in the Indigenous (“Native American”) community refer to as demographic genocide. This is the act of erasing entire ethnic groups by simply defining them out of existence. Sound a little farfetched?
Consider this — with a mere stroke of the pen, government bureaucrats have managed to demographically eliminate more Indigenous people than even the conquistadorks themselves. While the tactics employed by the census bureau certainly differ from those of the Spaniards, the end result remains the same. And if you happen to be of Native blood, there is something truly sinister about a government agency telling you that your people no longer exist by re-defining you as white (Hispanic is a word which describes white Europeans who trace their roots to Spain).
If we take the supposed “31 million Hispanics” and bother to classify these individuals in regards to their true ethnic ancestry, heritage and culture, we would find that it is the Indigenous community, NOT “Hispanics” who carry the greater numbers. A little simple mathematics will bear this out: Xikano-Mexikanos comprise 65% of the alleged 31 million Hispanics, yet the ethnic background and cultural heritage of Xikano-Mexikanos is overwhelmingly Indigenous and most definitely not “Hispanic.” Our people are the Mexika, Maya, Chontal, Mixteka, Otomi, Raramuri, Totonak, Yaqui, Apache, etc., and we deserve to be recognized and respected for who we are.
In fact, 85–90% of the Mexican population is of Native blood (the word “Mexican” itself is Indigenous — not Spanish). If we account for this, the Hispanic population drops considerably, while the Indigenous population rises by around 17 MILLION people. And If we add to this number the 2.4 million “American Indians” already identified as living within the United States, the Indigenous population soars to nearly 20 million people. Now THAT is a powerful population base — and a reality the census bureau would rather ignore.
Keep in mind this isn’t even taking into account the countless Central and South Americans who have been unjustly mislabeled as Hispanics. Nor is it considering the many Blacks and Asians who are being misrepresented by the Hispanic label as well. If we take all of these factors into consideration, I would venture to guess that the actual Hispanic population in the United States is far less than 2 Million people — if even that.
In an attempt to counter the destructive practice of demographic genocide, Indigenous scholar and UC Davis professor Dr. Jack D. Forbes has recently called upon Xikano-Mexikanos and Central Americans to identify themselves as Native people on all future government documents — including the census. By doing so, Native people can reclaim the right of self-identification and proclaim to the world that our people are still very much alive. If Xikano-Mexikanos and Central Americans wish to be involved in a struggle which truly reflects our cultural heritage and values, we should unite ourselves with other Indigenous nations rather than seek acceptance through the assimilation oriented “Hispanic” cause with its hollow goals and promises.
By remaining silent and allowing a group of pencil pushing bureaucrats to wipe us out by defining our very existence — in effect accomplishing what the Spaniards couldn’t do in over 300 years of slavery, rape, and genocide — we dishonor our ancestors who bravely resisted European imperialism. Ancestors such as Kuauhtemok, Popé, Tupak Amaru, Koatlawak, Zapata and the many other warriors who fought and died so that our people would never have to submit — so that we would never have to call ourselves “Hispanic.” And at a time when violence against Xikano-Mexikanos is running rampant, with law enforcement agencies and private citizens taking turns hunting our people down like animals along the border, we need to remember who we are and where we come from. So stand up and say it loud — I’m brown and I’m proud!
