Apache – The Fiercest Warriors in the Southwest

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Apache – The Fiercest Warriors in the Southwest

Apache – The Fiercest Warriors in the Southwest

The term "Apache" serves as a collective descriptor for a number of culturally related tribes inhabiting the Southwest cultural area. These tribes share linguistic roots, speaking various dialects derived from the Athabaskan language family. Their origins trace back centuries, to a separation from the broader Athabaskan-speaking peoples in western Canada, followed by a gradual migration southward into what is now the southwestern United States. While evidence suggests the presence of Southern Athabaskan groups in the region as early as the 13th century AD, the consensus among scholars points to their permanent establishment occurring only a few decades before the arrival of the Spanish.

It was the Zuni, a Pueblo people, who bestowed upon them the name "Apachu," signifying "enemy." Conversely, the Apache refer to themselves by various terms, including Tinneh, Tinde, Dini, and other similar variations, all carrying the fundamental meaning of "the people." This distinction in nomenclature highlights the differing perspectives between the Apache and their neighboring tribes.

Historically, the Apache were characterized by a nomadic lifestyle, traversing a vast expanse of the United States. The Mescalero Apache, for instance, ventured as far south as Mexico. Their subsistence was primarily based on hunting and gathering, with certain bands focusing on buffalo hunting, while others engaged in limited agricultural practices. This adaptability to diverse environments and resource availability was a defining characteristic of their early existence.

Within Apache society, a clear division of labor existed along gender lines. Men were responsible for hunting and engaging in raiding activities, while women undertook the crucial tasks of gathering food, collecting firewood, and securing water resources. Among the Western Apache tribes, a matrilineal system prevailed, where lineage and descent were traced through the mother’s side. Other Apache groups followed a system of descent through both parents. Polygamy, though practiced, was contingent on economic viability, and marital unions could be dissolved with relative ease by either partner.

Their dwellings, known as wickiups, were simple, dome-shaped structures constructed from brush and readily erected by women. These shelters were ideally suited to the arid environment and the tribe’s frequent movements. In some instances, particularly among the Kiowa-Apache and Jicarilla, families resided in teepees made from buffalo hides. While the Apache produced limited pottery, they were renowned for their exquisite basketwork, a testament to their resourcefulness and artistic skill.

Traditional Apache social structure was organized around bands consisting of extended families, led by a headman chosen for their leadership qualities and prowess in warfare. For centuries, the Apache earned a reputation as formidable warriors, highly skilled in wilderness survival, who fiercely defended their territory against encroachment. Their deep knowledge of the land and mastery of guerilla tactics made them a force to be reckoned with.

Religion played a central role in Apache life, deeply intertwined with their understanding of the world and their place within it. Their pantheon of supernatural beings included Ussen (or Yusn), revered as the Giver of Life, and the gains, or mountain spirits, who were invoked in religious ceremonies such as healing rituals and puberty rites. Men would elaborately dress to impersonate the gains, donning kilts, black masks, tall wooden-slat headdresses, body paint, and wooden swords, embodying the spiritual power of these entities.

By the mid-16th century, trade relationships had developed between the established Pueblo peoples and the Southern Athabaskans. This exchange involved the trading of maize and woven goods for bison meat, hides, and materials for crafting stone tools. This symbiotic relationship fostered a degree of interdependence and cooperation between the two groups.

The Apache and the Pueblo generally maintained peaceful relations, but this dynamic shifted dramatically with the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s. The Spanish intrusion northward into Apache territory disrupted their established trade networks with neighboring tribes, creating tension and conflict.

In April 1541, Francisco Coronado, while traversing the plains east of the Pueblo region, documented his encounter with a group of Apache:

"After seventeen days of travel, I came upon a rancheria of the Indians who follow these cattle [bison.] These natives are called Querechos. They do not cultivate the land but eat raw meat and drink the blood of the cattle they kill. They dress in the skins of the cattle, with which all the people in this land clothe themselves, and they have very well-constructed tents, made with tanned and greased cowhides, in which they live and which they take along as they follow the cattle. They have dogs that they load to carry their tents, poles, and belongings."

This passage offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of the early Apache, highlighting their reliance on the buffalo, their nomadic existence, and their resourcefulness in utilizing animal products for sustenance and shelter.

When New Mexico became a Spanish colony in 1598, hostilities between the Spanish and the Apache escalated. A primary source of conflict stemmed from the activities of slave traders who sought captives to work as laborers in the silver mines of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. In retaliation, the Apache raided Spanish settlements, seizing cattle, horses, firearms, and captives of their own. Before long, the Apache‘s prowess in battle became legendary. Although their numbers were relatively small at the beginning of the 17th century, their ranks were augmented by captives from other tribes, including the Pueblo, Pima, Papago, and other peaceful indigenous groups, as well as captured white and Spanish individuals. Extending their raids as far south as Jalisco, Mexico, the Apache quickly became renowned for their warlike nature.

The influx of Comanche into traditional Apache territory in the early 1700s forced the Lipan and other Apache groups to migrate south, away from their primary food source, the buffalo. These displaced Apache then intensified their raids on the Pueblo Indians and non-Indian settlers in search of food and livestock, further exacerbating tensions in the region.

Apache raids on settlers and migrants traversing their lands persisted into the period of American westward expansion and the United States’ acquisition of New Mexico in 1848. Several Apache bands and the United States military engaged in fierce conflicts until the Apache were eventually subdued and forced onto reservations.

The Mescalero were subjugated by 1868, and a reservation was established for them in 1873. The Western Apache and their Yavapai allies were defeated during the U.S. military’s Tonto Basin Campaign of 1872-1873.

The Chiricahua Chief Cochise signed a treaty with the U.S. government in 1872 and relocated with his band to an Apache reservation in Arizona. However, Apache resistance continued under the leadership of the Mimbreno Chief Victorio from 1877 to 1880.

The last band of Apache raiders, led by the Chiricahua warrior Geronimo, remained active in the ensuing years. They were eventually hunted down in 1886 and initially sent to Florida, then to Alabama, and finally to the Oklahoma Territory, where they settled among the Kiowa-Apache.

The major Apache groups, each speaking a distinct dialect, included the Jicarilla and Mescalero of New Mexico, the Chiricahua of the Arizona-New Mexico border area, and the Western Apache of Arizona. The Yavapai-Apache Nation Reservation is located southwest of Flagstaff, Arizona. Other groups included the Lipan Apache of southwestern Texas and the Plains Apache of Oklahoma.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe is situated in the east-central region of Arizona, approximately 194 miles northeast of Phoenix. This group manages the popular Sunrise Park Ski Resort and Fort Apache Timber Company. The Tonto Apache Reservation was established in 1972 near Payson in eastern Arizona. Located within the Tonto National Forest, northeast of Phoenix, the reservation encompasses 85 acres, serves approximately 100 tribal members, and operates a casino.

Noted Apache leaders included Cochise, Mangas Coloradas, Chief Victorio, and Geronimo, all of whom were recognized by the U.S. Army as fierce warriors and skilled strategists. Their leadership and tactical acumen played a crucial role in the Apache‘s resistance against external forces.

Apache Bands:

  • Chiricahua: The Chiricahua, meaning "great mountain" Apache, were named for their former mountain home in Southeast Arizona. They referred to themselves as Aiaha. The most warlike of the Arizona Indians, their raids extended into New Mexico, southern Arizona, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Prominent leaders included Cochise, Victorio, Loco, Chato, Naiche, Bonito, Mangas Coloradas, and Geronimo. The nomadic Chiricahua primarily lived in wickiups and subsisted on berries, nuts, fruits, and game, with horse and mule flesh considered delicacies. During the summer, they also cultivated corn and melon.

  • Jicarilla: The Jicarilla Apache were one of six Southern Athapascan groups that migrated out of Canada around 1300 to 1500 A.D., eventually settling in the Southwest. Their traditional homeland encompassed over 50 million acres across northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, and western Oklahoma. The region’s geography shaped two bands: the Llaneros, or plains people, and the Olleros, or mountain-valley people. The name Jicarilla means "little basket maker" in Spanish.

  • Mescalero: The Mescalero Apache were among the fiercest Apache groups in the Southwest when defending their homelands. These nomadic hunters and warriors moved between Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. In 1873, a reservation was established for them near Fort Stanton, New Mexico. Later, they opened their doors to other Apache bands, including the Chiricahua and the Lipan Apache. Today, the tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in south-central New Mexico. Ranching and tourism are major sources of income for the tribe.

As of the 2000 U.S. census, approximately 57,000 people identified as Apache only, with an additional 40,000 reporting partial Apache ancestry. Many Apache reside on reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, where farming, cattle herding, and tourist-related businesses are important economic activities. The contemporary Apache way of life blends traditional beliefs and rituals, such as mountain spirit dances, with elements of contemporary American culture.

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