From the beginning, the United States vacillated 

on how to enumerate American Indians. The U.S. 

Constitution specifically excluded “Indians not 

taxed” (defined as those living in tribal relations as 

part of a sovereign community) from the once-a 

decade census. However, the federal government 

soon recognized it had to count the American 

Indian population, even if the numbers were not 

part of apportionment decisions. And in 1850, the 

United States began sporadically conducting 

separate censuses for these communities, a 

practice that continued for nearly 100 years. In 

1860, for the first time, American Indians not living 

on tribal lands had their own racial category in the census. The 1880 Census contained the first full 

count of Alaska Natives, while the 1900 Census was the first to count and classify all Indians living in 

the United States, regardless of their status. Throughout the evolution of the enumeration of 

American Indians and Alaskan Natives, the Census 

Bureau has embraced the hiring of a diverse workforce 

representative of local communities being counted. 

Wayne Howard Chattin was born May 20, 1934, in 

Browning, Montana. His parents, Iola and William Acel 

Chattin, were members of the Blackfeet Nation. Iola 

worked for the state liquor board, and Acel worked as a 

salesman for a retail grocery company and practiced 

amateur photography. After graduating from Browning 

High School in 1952, Wayne attended the University of 

Montana (then known as Montana State University).

But just two years later, he was drafted into the Army in the wake of the Korean War – and did not 

return to college until 1957. Upon his return, he worked as an art editor on the school’s literary 

magazine, and earned a bachelor’s degree sociology in 1960.

While still in college, Wayne began working on issues he felt 

strongly about, most notably ways to socially and economically 

enhance the lives of American Indians as a whole and the Blackfeet 

Nation in particular. Among other things, he spoke to local groups 

like the Rotary Club about the need to bring work opportunities 

directly to tribal lands and reservations. When Wayne graduated, 

he began working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). He would 

end up spending his entire proffessional career at BIA and other 

agencies in the Department of Interior serving American Indians 

and Alaska Natives throughout the country.

Importance of the Census fromGeneration to Generation

Wayne’s 1940 Census.

Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, MT) May 7, 2008.

Wayne and Sydnee Chattin

Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, MT) July 19, 2015/ Counterparts, December 

2012, Vol 12 No 21
Wayne’s achievements include serving as the 

first director of the then- newly created 

Division of Self-Determination Services; being 

awarded a 1970 Certificate of Special 

Achievement from the BIA; working on 

American Indian representation in the 1976 

American Bicentennial; working on the 

Indian Self Determination and Educational 

Assistance Act; and serving in several senior 

Indian affairs roles for the federal 

government. After retiring from the federal 

government in the 1990s, Wayne continued 

to follow his lifelong passion by serving on 

land management and American Indian 

committees and boards. He also served a 

partnership specialist for American Indian 

outreach during the 2000 and 2010 Censuses. While serving his community and working as a 

professional, Wayne also established a family. Soon after graduating, Wayne married Myrna 

Mooney, who would also go on to work for the federal government. Together they had three 

children. One of their children, Sydnee, born April 2, 1961, would go on to follow in her father’s 

footsteps and work at the Census Bureau. 

Thanks to her dad’s work, Sydnee recalled growing up all 

across the Western United States, living on a diverse range 

of reservations, including Navajo, Blackfeet, Northern 

Cheyenne, Apache, Laguna, Flathead and Colorado River.

After attending the University of Colorado for two years, 

Sydnee transferred to and graduated from Metropolitan 

State College of Denver in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree 

in computer science and information systems. Sydnee 

first started working for the Census Bureau in 1980, while 

still a student, as a temporary hire in the Denver Regional 

Office.

After Denver, Sydnee moved to the Atlanta Regional 

Office, where she served as a survey statistician for most 

of the 1990s. She finally landed at Census Bureau 

Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, where she worked on American Indian and Native American 

participation outreach for the 2000 Census, which included one of the first census paid ad 

campaigns. In 2007, Sydnee moved to the Kansas City Regional Office to serve as assistant regional 

director. Just three years later, she won the Bronze Medal, 

the Census Bureau’s highest award, for her outstanding 

work there. Sydnee’s final position at the Census Bureau 

was as assistant division chief, Decennial Support 

Programs Field Division, where she led program 

development for the 2020 Census Partnership, Quality 

Assurance, and Special Census programs.

After a long life dedicated to public service, Wayne died in 

Tucson, Arizona, on June 27, 2015. Unfortunately, Sydnee 

died just a few years later, on August 18, 2019, in Kalispell, 

Montana. The Census Bureau appreciates Wayne and 

Sydnee’s contributions to their communities and our 

nation. 

Sydnee with promotional material for the 2000 Census.

Pensacola New Journal (Pensacola, FL) December 28,1999

Sydnee with then-Secretary of Commerce 

Carlos Gutierrez in 2008.

Counterparts. May 2008, Vol 17, No 5.

Sydnee, center, with members of the Kansas 

City Regional Office in 2008.

Counterparts. May 2008, Vol 17, No 5.

HB-20-0004