That's almost twice the rate of diabetes as whites. Of the 3.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States, about 16 percent have diabetes, most of them type 2, says the Indian Health Service, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Seven members have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he says. Pond, whose roots are with the Assiniboine tribe in Montana, comes from a family of nine. 'It is the exception,' says Gerald Pond, general manager of the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel and Resort. Finding a Native American in Towaoc, Colo., who does not have diabetes or know someone with diabetes is rare.
