Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ramah-navajo-indian-reservation

Step 2 · Questions

1. Where is Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?
2. How many people live in Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?
3. What language do people speak in Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?
4. How big is the reservation and what kind of land does it have?
5. Why did the Ramah Navajo people work on their own before joining the Navajo Nation again?

Step 3 · Words to know

Write what each word means, using the article.

Sovereignty
Self-determination
Off-reservation trust land
Public Law 96-333

Step 4 · Two facts in your own words

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Cite your source

Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation. Small Whale. https://smallwhale.org/articles/ramah-navajo-indian-reservation. Accessed 2026-09-23. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Answer key (teacher copy)

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?West-central Cibola and southern McKinley counties, New Mexico, United States
2. How many people live in Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?2,167 persons (2000 Census)
3. What language do people speak in Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation?Navajo (Tł'ohchiní)
4. How big is the reservation and what kind of land does it have?It covers about 230.675 square miles, most of which is off‑reservation trust land held by the U.S. government for the Ramah Navajo. The area has high‑desert plains, mesas, and little vegetation.
5. Why did the Ramah Navajo people work on their own before joining the Navajo Nation again?From 1868 to the 1960s they were largely independent, building their own governance and community projects, which helped them stay strong and self‑reliant.

Sovereignty: The supreme power or authority of a state to govern itself or another state.
Self-determination: The right of a people to choose their own form of government and political status.
Off-reservation trust land: Land held in trust by the U.S. government for the benefit of a Native American tribe, often outside their main reservation boundaries.
Public Law 96-333: Legislation that secured land rights for the Ramah Navajo, a significant victory for their tribal sovereignty.