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Show i9oo] FUTURE OP THE INDIANS The future of the Indians cannot be predicted with confidence. It has been^ shown that while decreasing in numbers, the diminution is not rapid. 1 It is quite conceivablereven if not probable, that more thorough adaptation to a civilized environment might check the process of extinction and place the birth- rate higher* than the death- rate. Absorption by the whites is regarded by many as the natural and ultimate outcome; and the increasing number of mixed bloods on the reservations indicates such a possibility. ' The product of such mixture seems also to be well adapted to survive. There is no evidence that the often described undesirable qualities of the mixed blood are inherent in the crossing, but in most cases they are traits fostered by the unfortunate social environment in which such an individual finds himself. Virtually an outcast from both the higher and lower groups, it is not strange that the adult half-breed should exhibit questionable characteristics. The half- blood woman is also more prolific than the full- blood, which is a point of great significance in forecasting the future. In the light of the processes now in operation, gradual absorption by the surrounding whites seems to be the Indian's most probable fate. 1 See above, chap. vi. |