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Rancherías and Reservations

What special lands can be found in your state?

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Entering Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Road Sign, USA

Some Native Americans live on reservations, which are lands that are specially reserved for Native Americans. Reservations can be found in 26 states. In California, these lands are called rancherías, which is a Spanish word for a small, rural settlement. These reservations are not managed by state governments; instead, they are managed by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

A reservation of Indians of the Navajo, the USA. The river Colorado in abrupt coast from red sandstone

The largest reservation in the United States is the Navajo Nation, which is in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Here are the remaining top ten in size: Pine Ridge Reserve, Fort Apache Reservation, Fort Apache Reservation, Gila River Indian Reservation, Osage Reservation, San Carlos Reservation, Rosebud Indian Reservation, Tohono O'odham Nation Reservation, Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and Flathead Reservation.