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Those of us who grew up watching Westerns on television and in the movies are undoubtedly familiar with the Apache tribe of American Indians, at least insofar as they were depicted on the screen.

Indeed, the Apache Nation has a fascinating history, one replete with decades of wars, unfair treaties, and a long struggle to maintain their culture and traditions in the midst of repeated assimilation attempts.

Apache is actually an umbrella term used to refer to several culturally related tribes in the American Southwest who spoke variations of the Athapascan language. The Apache separated from the Athapascan in Canada several centuries ago, migrating to what is now the southwestern United States, where they settled in the mountains, valleys, canyons, and deserts of what is now Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, southern Colorado, and northern Mexico. This area is known as Apacheria.

While there is evidence that Southern Athapascan peoples visited the Southwest as early as the 13th century, it is believed that they did not settle there permanently until just a few decades before the Spanish arrival. The Pueblo (Zuni) people gave them the name Apachu, which translates as "enemy." The Apache refer to themselves as Indé, Dini, Tindé, Tinneh, or another of several variations meaning "the people."

The larger Apache Nation is made up of six different groups that may be thought of as tribes, each with its own beliefs, customs, history, and locations. The six Apache tribes are the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Western Apache, and Kiowa.

The Apache first encountered the Spanish during the 1540 Coronado expedition, but they didn't have to deal with settlers on their land until Juan de Oñate entered Pueblo country in what is now New Mexico. This was followed by frequent conflicts between Spanish settlers and Apache bands, although some groups traded with one another in a peaceful manner.

Tensions rose after Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. With the removal of Spanish forts, Apache bands raided Mexico more often, and the Mexican government responded with a bounty on Apache scalps in 1835. Nevertheless, some Mexican villages continued to trade with some Apache bands.

Several Apache groups allied with the United States government during the 1846 Mexican-American War, allowing U.S. troops passage through their lands.

This did not lead to peace between the Apache and the U.S. government. As gold miners began streaming into the Santa Rita Mountains, rising conflicts between the Apache and the federal government, as well as tension between the Apache and Mexico and Spain, led to a long period of war that was damaging to all sides. Most of the battles were not traditional, open battles, but were characterized by ambush attacks, which was likely the only way the Apache could hold their own against three better-armed nations.

Ultimately, the U.S. government established reservations for the Apache. These reservations were well-guarded but poorly managed. Bands of Apache with no ties to one another were forced to live together, and, while the reservations were not sufficient to allow the Apache to feed themselves, adequate food was not supplied to them, yet anyone who left was severely punished.

As a consequence, many Apache warriors refused to settle on the reservations, continuing to ambush and raid American settlers and Mexican villages. Of particular note were Geronimo and Victorio.

Geronimo (Goyaałé), a Mescalero-Chiricahua military leader and medicine man, joined with members of three other Apache bands (the Tchihende, the Chiricahua, and the Nednhi) to carry out attacks against the Mexican and U.S. military in the northern Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, and the American territories of New Mexico and Arizona. During his final period of conflict, Geronimo surrendered three times and eventually accepted reservation life. Although well-known, he was not an Apache chief.

Victorio (Bidu-ya, Beduiat) was a warrior and chief of the Warm Springs band of the Tchihendeh Apache. He led a band of about 200 Apaches in a running battle with U.S. and Mexican military troops, and the civilian population of New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. He and his followers were killed or captured by the Mexican army in the fall of 1880. As his body was never identified, it was rumored that he had faked his death and disappeared into the Sierra Madre Mountains.

The Apache are matrilineal, which means that the family tree is traced through the mother of each family. Traditionally, Apache families have been close, with generations of families living together. Becoming a warrior was a sacred calling in Apache communities, and both men and women could train as warriors.

Apache religion was based on a belief in supernatural things and the power of nature, but each tribe had its own spiritual interpretations.

 

 

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