Checkerboarding, which is common in the eastern part of the Navajo Nation that spans McKinley, San Juan, and Cibola counties in northwestern New Mexico, refers to the mixed jurisdiction of land. To the north of Zuni is Chichiltah, a checkerboard area inhabited mostly by Navajo citizens. Whatever the reason, the story of Ramah is just one part of the complex history of Diné relationships with land. It is possible they simply stayed behind because Ramah is surrounded by beautiful wilderness. Others say that it was because they collaborated with colonial military forces and sold out their own people. It is said that the Ramah Navajos were asked to stay behind because they practiced witchcraft. This trek home, which spanned a distance of approximately 200 miles, passed through the area now known as Ramah. Some say that the Ramah Navajos did not make the entire journey in 1868 when the Diné made the long return to their homelands after negotiating the end to their forced removal and incarceration at Fort Sumner in what is now eastern New Mexico. While Ramah is formally incorporated into the polity known as the ‘Navajo Nation,” many narrate its relationship with the larger population in different ways. ![]() The reason for Ramah’s separation from the larger Navajo Nation has been relayed to Melanie through oral history by several Diné people. To the east and northeast of Zuni Pueblo is Ramah, a small community of Navajos geographically separated from the larger contiguous land base that is more commonly associated with the geography of the Navajo Nation. Navajo Area Indian Health Service, 2006. It is also adjacent to (almost surrounded by) various legal jurisdictions belonging to the greater Navajo Nation, the Native nation of which Melanie is a citizen. It is estimated that Zuni Pueblo covers up to 450,000 acres, with its entire western boundary following the state line that demarcates the border between Arizona and New Mexico. One of Melanie’s colleagues - her boss, in fact - was from Zuni Pueblo, which is about two hours west of Albuquerque and forty minutes south of Gallup, the last major town in New Mexico that drivers heading west on Interstate 40 pass through before crossing the state boundary into Arizona. An inter-tribal workplace, staff and administrators are recruited and hired from dozens of different Native nations. Several years ago, Melanie worked as a program coordinator for the community outreach division of a tribal college.
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