188 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 197 



and dispersion of the Indian population of the nation, as indicated in 

 the returns of the 1960 census, it is to be hoped that the Bureau can 

 be induced, in the future, to obtain information on the tribal affiliation 

 of American Indians. It would then be possible to utilize these data 

 as an important check on the accuracy and completeness of existing 

 Indian population registers; and as an indication of the numbers, 

 location, and characteristics of the Indians who are leaving the confines 

 of their original reservations for life in the mainstream of American 

 society. These data would also provide a wealth of information for 

 comparative studies of the process of acculturation. 



