The Apache are known to many people because of the Wild West stories about Cochise and Geronimo. Both men were famous Chiricahua Apache warriors who fought to keep Apache land free from Mexico and the United States. The early Apache were nomads who moved about and hunted and gathered food from the land on which they lived. They also made raids for horses and supplies. In addition to the Chiricahua, there are several other Apache groups who now live on reservations in the Southwest. The traditional Apache homelands are located in what is now east-central and southeastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado, southwestern and eastern New Mexico, western Texas, and the states of northern Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico. The many groups that make up the Apache are divided into Eastern Apache (also known as the Plains Apache) and Western Apache. The Eastern Apache include the Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua, Lipan, and Kiowa Apache. The Western Apache group includes the Cibecue, San Carlos, White Mountain, and Northern and Southern Tonto. The ancestors of the Apache are believed to have been from the far north. This is because the dialects—the regional languages—of the Apache language are distantly related to the Athabascan languages spoken in Canada. These Athabascan ancestors probably reached the North American Southwest in about AD 1000. Some Apache are known to have been in the Southwest before the 15th century. As late as 1700, however, Plains Apache farmers were still living along the Dismal River in Kansas. These and other Plains Apache were moved south and west by the Comanche and the Ute. Society and cultureThe Apache, with the exception of the Kiowas, did not organize themselves around a central government. The band, a separate collection of small local groups within a given area, was the primary political unit. It was also the main warring and raiding unit. The strongest leader of these groups was recognized as the chief. In some cases, several bands could be united under one leader. Each chief earned his position as the group's leader. For that reason, the role of chief was not passed from father to son. The family in all the Apache groups was centered on the women. The women took care of the children. They gathered edible seeds and wild plants and prepared the food. They also collected firewood and water and produced buckskin clothing, baskets, and pottery. In addition to their other duties, the women of the group constructed the dome-shaped shelters, known as wickiups, that were made of wood poles covered with grass or branches. The men of the family hunted, fought, raided, and made weapons such as arrows, slings, and shields. Hunters added meat to the family diet by killing buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope. The Apache were a nomadic people who moved from camp to camp depending on the season and the food supply. During the growing season some Apache groups planted crops. The Jicarilla Apache farmed corn and vegetables. Like the Plains Indians, they also hunted bison. The Lipan of Texas were hunters and gatherers, though they did grow some crops. A major part of the Mescalero diet was based on the mescal plant. The name of the plant eventually became the name of the people, the Mescalero Apache. The Chiricahua were hunters and gatherers. They also carried out raids on people living in northern Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. Most of the Western Apache relied on farming for about one quarter of their food. They produced corn, beans, and squash. Hunting and gathering provided for the rest of their diet. Like other Apache groups, the Western Apache took part in raids. The gods and spirits of the Apache religion represented the forces of nature, such as the sun and lightning. Religious leaders, known as shamans, led ceremonies and treated the sick. The Apache also believed that the practice of witchcraft could unleash evil forces into the world. WarriorsThe Apache wars in the second half of the 1800s were among the fiercest fought on the Western frontier. The Apache first tried to befriend the people who moved into their territory, though. The Spanish were the first to enter Apache lands, then the Mexicans, and later the Americans. In 1858, the Americans and the Chiricahua Apache established a peace that lasted until 1861. In that year the Apache leader Cochise went to war for being falsely arrested by the Americans. This marked the beginning of a quarter century of fighting between the United States military and the Apache. The Apache were skilled horsemen and knew their land. But they could not match the weapons of the federal troops. Although the Apache surrendered in 1871–73, many warriors refused to give up their nomadic ways. Geronimo and Victorio continued to lead raids. The last of the Apache wars ended in 1886 with Geronimo's surrender. The Chiricahua group led by Geronimo was moved from the West and held as prisoners for 27 years. In 1913, the group was allowed either to live in Oklahoma or to live in New Mexico on the Mescalero Reservation. About one third chose Oklahoma and two thirds chose the reservation. Modern ApacheThe Chiricahua, the Mescalero, and the Lipan now live on the Mescalero Reservation in southern New Mexico. The Jicarilla live on a reservation in north-central New Mexico. The Western Apache live on the Fort Apache and San Carlos reservations located in east-central Arizona. The Tonto Apache Reservation is located in central Arizona. Each of the reservations has its own government and court system. Industries such as logging, mining, cattle ranching, and tourism and recreation provide jobs. Casino gambling has attracted tourists and provided income for the Tonto and the Mescalero. The Jicarilla earn money from the crude oil and natural gas located on their land. All of these industries have helped to reduce the unemployment and poverty facing many Apache. |