The word Apache may have come from the Zuni word Apachu meaning “enemy.” It also could have come from Awa’tehe, the Ute name for Apache. They arrived between 1000 A.D. and 1400 A.D. in the southwest. After being separated from their northern kinsmen, they ended up carving out a home in the south along the east side of the Rocky Mountains. Their tribe then ended up spreading west into New Mexico and Arizona. The Apaches were nomadic Indians and lived off Buffalo. They killed the animals for their hides, which they used for clothes and tents, and meat to eat. This tribe was one of the first, besides the Pueblos, to learn to ride horses.

There are six subdivisions of the Apache tribe. The subdivision that lives in the mountainous country that lies left of the east line of Arizona, but south of the Gila River is the Be-don-ko-he. Geronimo was their chief. Victoria was the chief of the Chi-hen-ne that lived east of the Be-don-ko-he. The White Mountain Apache lived northwest of the Chi-hen-ne .Their chief was Hash-ka-ai-la. The Chi-e-a-hen had two chiefs. There names where Co-si-to and  Co-da-hoo-yah. This subdivision lived west of the Be-don-ko-he. Southeast of the Chi-e-a-hen lived the Cho-kon-en (Chiricahua). Cochise was their chief in charge. Whoa was the chief of Nedni. They were located south and west of the Be-don-ko-he.

Related families lived in one place. The oldest man was the headman and was known by his name. Local groups were made up of a number of families. The most dynamic headman of all the families was the chief. The only authority he had was over the local group. All the local groups stayed in good contact incase of an emergency or to carry out a task that needed more that one group. When local groups joined they became a band. Different men led different expeditions, but there was never just one leader for a band nor was there ever only one chief over all the Apaches.

The Apache religion is very interesting to me. It states that there were many spirits. It’s believed that everything in nature had a spirit. Many important ceremonies were a part of the Apaches daily life. The ceremonies were performed by Di-yin who is a religious leader. Sometimes during these traditional gatherings they danced and wore beautiful clothing. While dancing they asked for blessings.

A woman’s pregnancy is very different from today. When a mother was expecting she wore a maternity belt that was made of skins from deer, mountain lions, or pronghorn antelope. These animals were believed to not have much difficulty having birth. Traditionally at the time of birth a medicine man would conduct a ritual. In more recent times a midwife attended the mother. The midwife’s job was to squirt the baby with water, which had been warmed in her mouth, and then rub the baby dry. They used grass, moss, or cloth that had been sprinkled in cattail pollen. A few days after the child is born a medicine sing is held to name the baby.

During childhood there was not time for goofing off. At an early age the children were taught to cooperate and to contribute to the family and band. They were loved and cherished by everybody in the band. If you were going to survivor the Apache way of life you had to be tough and strong. The boys were raised to become good hunters and by the age of eight or nine years old they had already started using bows and arrows.

When a man is done with training they were able to go on their first raid. If after four raids he proved himself he was considered a man, and became part of the war parities. The band would scorn a male that had failed. Between twenty and twenty-five years of age was when he could get married, but had to take part in at least four raids. The woman could get married when she could take over all the household duties; she was usually fifteen to eighteen years of age.

Marriage was very important to the Apaches. The man’s parents arranged the wedding. Usually the male asked an old female relative to approach the woman’s family. If the offer was accepted the man presented gifts to the other family such as hoses, blankets, and guns. In return, the family that received the gifts would give the other family smaller gift backs. When getting married the two families would not have a ceremony. A dwelling would be placed by the female’s parents home. The man would then live at the wives camp with the door facing away from her parents. Out of respect the male wasn’t supposed to talk to his mother-in-law. They believed that to eliminate conflict and insure harmony between the two households. After marriage a man was expected to support his own parents plus his wives parents.

The Apache Indians seldom spoke of the dead. If they had to acknowledge them they would say “He is gone.” They feared that if they looked or touched the possessions of the dead they might get a disease. So when they buried the body they buried the possessions too. The body could be placed in caves or on cliffs between rocks. The location of the grave was never mentioned. And if a child was called by his or name they would usually get it changed. Bands moved to a different location, because it was forbidden to speak of the dead.

They had very peaceful trade with the Pueblos until the Spanish forced the Pueblos to work their farms. The Pueblos then became unwilling to trade with the nomadic Indians so they raided for horses and supplies. The first contact the Apaches had with the Spanish was in 1541 when Francisco Vazquez de Coronado and his men encountered a band of Apaches at Querechos on their journey to Quivira. Continuous raids made the Spanish settlers and the Pueblo Indians suffer a lot.

The Pueblo Revolt was very important to the Apache. In 1680 the Spaniards were driven out of New Mexico because the Pueblos had to revolt. Raids, in conjunction with drought, harsh Spanish rule, and missionary activities led to the revolt. In 1692 the Spaniards required New Mexico. Wherever desired, the Apache, a powerful nation of Indians, raided with impunity. The Comanche’s pressured the Apaches from the north because of the aggressive behavior that turned neighbors into enemies. In the 1700 they started to migrate south and west as the Comanche, Wichita, and the Tejas began occupying dominant position on the south plains. Plains culture was very hard for the tribe to adapt to. Tending fields of food, they attempted to improve food sources. They spent a lot of time in the fields, that the Comanche’s knew where to launch raids. The Comanche’s became stronger, but at the same time the Apaches grew weaker.

Today the Apaches are trying to improve things. After passage from the IRA, some of the groups have formed governments. They have worked on creating jobs for people. They have funded many types of businesses. Getting better schools for children is a concern. But they continue to draw strength and pride.

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Christine Forman Rossville Junior High 2002 Plains Projects