Native Americans thrive on America’s largest Indian reserve. This vast region has everything from rolling hills to deserts.
The reservation preserves Native American culture. Families speak their own languages, perform ancestral ceremonies, and celebrate traditional festivals. Their spirituality and livelihood depend on the land.
The reserve is modern despite its size and remote location. Tourism, energy and other industries are thriving. Many residents work in tribal administration, schools, or small businesses.
Despite these improvements, the reserve faces several obstacles. Many citizens are poor and unemployed, lacking education, health care and other vital services. Drug and alcohol abuse and crime have plagued the town.
The Native American population of this reservation is resilient despite these challenges. They have fought hard to protect their land, language and culture and build a bright future for their children. Residents of the largest U.S. Indian reserve today are proud, resilient, and hopeful.
The largest Indian reserve is a reminder of colonialism and indigenous oppression. A place where old traditions and modern life coexist, where a better future is always possible. Now let’s take a look at the eight largest Indian reservations.
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Tohono Oodam Nation Reservation
population: 7,468
Population density: 1.72 per square mile
Total area: 4,340.98 square miles
Founded in: 1917
sauce: Wikimedia
of Tohono Odam Indian Reservation It is a Native American reservation held by the Tohono O’odham Nation and is located in Arizona, USA. According to the census completed in 2000, the reserve had a total population of 10,787.
The settlement has a land area of 4,340.98 square miles, representing 97.48% of the total land area of Tohono Odam Nation. The reserve includes central Pima County, southern Pinal County, and southeastern Maricopa County.
The area also includes Kitt Peak, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and Mount Quinlan and Mount Babokivali, home to several telescopes. Additionally, the area is home to the Babo-Kibali Peak.
did you know?
The Tohono O’odham Nation has granted leases of these astronomical sites to the Tohono Astronomical Society. In the 1950s, the council approved a lease. The lease called for a one-time payment of $10 and $25,000 per acre per year.
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pigtails reservation
population: 9,920
Population density: 4.31 per square mile
Total area: 2,304 square miles
Founded in: 1872
sauce: Wikimedia
of Osage Nation Great Plains Native American tribe of the central United States. At the same time, around 700 BC, another tribe of the same language family arose in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys.
It moved west in the 17th century as a result of the Iroquois moving into the Ohio Valley in search of new hunting grounds. They settled near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This happened after the Iroquois invaded the Ohio Valley.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Osage had attained preeminent authority in the region, causing fear among the surrounding tribes. Nomadic farming and buffalo hunting were the main sources of income.
did you know?
Originating in French, this Native American tribal name meaning “calm water” was eventually Anglicized as “Osage”.
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Gila River Indian Reservation
population: 11,251
Population density: 19.27 per square mile
Total area: 583.7 square miles
Founded in: 1859
sauce: Wikimedia
of Gila River Indian Community It is a Native American reservation in Arizona, USA. It is located south of the city of Phoenix in Pinal and Maricopa counties and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The Gila River Indian Reservation was formed in 1859, and in 1939 the United States Congress legally established the Gila River Indian Community. The tribes of Akimel O’odham and Pee-Posh have lived in this settlement several times.
Divided into seven districts along the Gila River, the settlements of Sakaton, Komatoke, Santan and Blackwater make up the most populated areas. Sakaton is the site of most of the tribe’s administrative offices and departments.
did you know?
The community publishes a monthly newspaper and operates its own telecommunications company, energy utilities, industrial parks and medical facilities.
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Rosebud Indian Reservation
population: 11,354
Population density: 5.8 per square mile
Total area: 1,970.36 square miles
Founded in: 1889
sauce: Wikimedia
In South Dakota, United States, there is an Indian reserve known as the Indian Reservation. Rosebud Indian ReservationThe Rosebud Sioux, a federally recognized Lakota Sichang tribe, call this place home.
After the Great Sioux Reservation formed by the Treaty of Fort Laramie, the United States established the Rosebud Indian Reservation in 1889.
The Great Sioux Reservation included the West River, South Dakota (the area west of the Missouri River), and parts of northern Nebraska and eastern Montana.
did you know?
The Brûlée Sioux are also known by the name Sicangu Oyate, which in Lakota means “land of burnt thighs”. Their French name is also known as brulee sous.
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Fort Apache Reservation
population: 12,249
Population density: 4.65 per square mile
Total area: 2,631 square miles
Founded in: 1891
sauce: Wikimedia
of Fort Apache Reservation A Native American reservation that spans three different counties in the United States (Navajo, Gila, and Apache). It is located on the border of New Mexico and Arizona. The tribe has federal recognition.
The White Mountain Apache and all other Apache tribes are collectively referred to by the colonial taxonomy Apache. The White Mountain Apache he consisted of three main groups.
These larger groups consisted of smaller subgroups called bands or clans, and within these larger groups were families.
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san carlos reservation
population: 16,250
Population density: 5.67 per square mile
Total area: 2,867.18 square miles
Founded in: 1871
sauce: Wikimedia
The Chiricahua Apache tribe and its surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands were physically exiled from their original homeland, San Carlos Indian Reservation 1872, Southeast Arizona, United States.
This was done according to a plan devised by General George Crook to pit the various Apaches against each other. The Chiricahua Apache were the first inhabitants of the area.
The government delegated responsibility for managing the newly created reservation to various religious groups, and the Dutch Reformed Church was given authority over the San Carlos Apache American Reservation.
did you know?
The San Carlos Apache Reservation was formally designated by President Ulysses S. Grant on December 14, 1872.
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Pine Ridge Reservation
population: 19,779
Population density: 5.7 per square mile
Total area: 3,468.86 square miles
Founded in: 1889
sauce: Wikimedia
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Oglala Lakota Indian Reservation located almost entirely within South Dakota, United States, with a small segment located in Nebraska.
Part of the mixed-grass prairie, an ecological transition zone between the low-grass prairie and the tall-grass prairie, constitutes the reserve. Mixed-grass prairies, short-grass prairies and tall-grass prairies are all part of the Great Plains.
The reserve and surrounding areas are home to a rich and diverse flora and fauna, including the endangered black-footed ferret.
did you know?
The official name of the reservation in Lakota is Waz Ahaha Oyake. Also known as Pine Ridge Agency. Formerly part of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established by Act of March 2, 1889.
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navajo
population: 165,158
Population density: 6 per square mile
Total area: 27,413 square miles
Founded in: 1868
sauce: Wikimedia
of navajo It is the largest Indian settlement. The United States has a Native American reserve known as the Navajo Nation. It is located in the northeastern corner of Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and the southeastern corner of Utah.
After gaining control in the Mexican-American War, the United States took full control of the region in 1848.
When Arizona and New Mexico were admitted to the United States in 1912, the reservation was within the New Mexico Territory, straddling what would later become the border between the two states.
did you know?
In contrast to most reservations, it has undergone many expansions since its founding in 1868. It now encompasses most of northeastern Arizona, a significant portion of northern New Mexico, and most of the territory south of the San Juan River in southeastern Utah.
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