# Native American reservations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2000, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349 "2000-03-09T10:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sharkboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@sharkboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharkboy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/1 "2000-03-09T10:15:00Z")
What is the largest reservation in the US. Just how big is it? ---
**Author:** ![LucyVanPelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LucyVanPelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LucyVanPelt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/2 "2000-03-09T11:15:00Z")
“Today, there are 278 Indian reservations in America, serving 512 Indian tribes that are recognized by the U.S. government. The largest of these is the 16 million-acre Navajo Reservation in the Southwest, and the smallest is a ranch, or pueblo, of less than 100 acres. Of the close to two million American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts in the United States, almost one million live on or near a reservation. The rest live in cities or towns as regular American citizens.” From Knowledge Adventure, Inc 1998. * * * Keep smiling it makes 'em wonder what you’ve been up to. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/3 "2000-03-09T15:01:00Z")
As a point of clarification, there are no Eskimo or Aleaut reservations, under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA) of 1971. From [Between Worlds: a Juneau Empire special report](http://www.juneaualaska.com/Project/stories/history.html) > [@](#): > > The bill provided Alaska Natives $962.5 million and 44 million acres of land and called for 12 regional corporations to be set up to administer the settlement. Later a 13th corporation was set up for Alaska Natives who lived outside the state. > > Alaska Natives gave up their aboriginal land claims, which ended the land freeze and opened the door for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. They also surrendered their aboriginal hunting and fishing rights. ## The land transferred under ANSCA is not reservation land, but private property owned by the regional corporations. It is subject to state and federal laws just like any other privately held real estate. TT “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” –James Thurber ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/4 "2000-03-09T16:56:00Z")
I remember hearing of a similar system in Hawaii for native (Polynesian) Hawaiians. They get rent for some nominal amount like $1 per month. Of course, there are only a handfull of full-blooded Hawaiians left, so I don’t know how long that system’s going to last. * * * –It was recently discovered that research causes cancer in rats. ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/5 "2000-03-10T06:51:00Z")
In the state of Hawaii, the island of Niihau is about 20? miles long and west of Kauai. Only natives are allowed there. I do not know if it is a reservationor if it is by convention. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-american-reservations/8349/6 "2000-03-10T06:54:00Z")
Niihau is limited only to native Hawaiians because it is privately owned. There is actually a haole family (the Robinsons?) who own it and employ the native Hawaiians. If you want to visit there, you can take a brief helicopter tour from Kauai or get a personal invitation. The native Hawaiians there don’t own much of anything.