"A People's Way" Key Ring

The number of Lakota Indians is slightly lower than other tribal groups. Today, there are only about 70,000 registered Lakota Indians. Less than half of these continue to speak the ancestral language. The Lakota Indians can be traced back to the Lewis and Clark expedition. During this time, the Lakota Indian tribe accompanied much of the Great Plains. Because of ongoing warfare, the tribal group was forced northward, and settled in the Dakotas. Today, there are approximately 560 federally recognised Native American tribes within the United States. Many face problems such as poverty, alcohol abuse, and heart disease. Fortunately there are some who want to be sure the Native American history and way of life is preserved, so that we never forget the important role they have played in the development of this nation. These beautiful Buffalo Nickels are also known as "Indian Head Nickels" because of the striking portrait of the Native American warrior that appears on the obverse. I have always found it rather ironic that the U.S. government was honouring these noble people on the coinage during the very years that they swindled them out of their land and imprisoned them on reservations-but at least there is some recognition!