Data and Code for: American Indian Wealth in the Early 20th Century

We use data from the Bureau of Indian Affairs annual reports between 1912 and 1927 to examine the wealth of Indigenous nations in the contiguous U.S. during the early 20th century. Our estimates reveal considerable heterogeneity in wealth holdings across Indigenous nations. In 1912, the average real per capita wealth of Indigenous nations was high relative to other groups, but it declined systematically throughout the period of our study. Given the available contemporary evidence, our estimates imply a dramatic widening of the wealth gap over the last century.

我们利用1912年至1927年间印第安事务局（Bureau of Indian Affairs）的年度报告数据，研究20世纪初美国本土原住民部落（Indigenous nations）的财富状况。我们的估算结果显示，不同原住民部落之间的财富持有存在显著异质性。1912年，原住民部落的平均实际人均财富相对于其他群体较高，但在研究期间呈系统性下降趋势。基于现有同期证据，我们的估算表明，过去一个世纪以来财富差距显著扩大。