The Apache Tribe
By: Stacie Selzer, Period #3
Where the did the Apache live?
The Apache Indians came from the Alaskan region, Canada, and portions of the American Southwest. Eventually the tribe migrated toward the United States further south, and divided itself into two basic regions. The Rio Grande River served as the dividing line.
What did the Apache eat?
Apache men hunted buffalo, deer, antelope, and small game, while women gathered nuts, seeds, and fruit from the environment around them. Although most Apache people were not farmers, the Apaches still used to eat corn frequently. They got corn by trading for it or stealing it in raids.
How did the Apache get their food?
The Apache were nomadic so they hunted and gathered, but they also traded and robbed other tribes. The Apache gathered things like nuts and seeds and hunted things like buffalo, deer and other smaller game as well.
What types of houses did the Apache live in?
Most Apache people lived in wickiups, which are simple wooden frames covered by a matting of brush and sometimes a buffalo-hide tarp. Wickiups were small dwellings, often the size of a modern camp tent, and an Apache woman could build a new wickiup in two hours if there was enough brush available.
Bow & Arrow
The Apache performed all their hunting chores with the bow and arrow. They could also make extremely beautiful arrows out of bone. Arrowheads were made from rocks that were chipped down to a sharp point. Bow strings were made from the tendons of animals.
War Club
The Apache also used a War club. They would make use of hard wood to carve this hefty war club. The purpose of which was to knock the enemy's head off.
Jawbone Club
In many ways the jawbone club was actually unique to this particular tribe. This traditional weapon was constructed out of the jawbone of a buffalo or a horse. Then they would paint the club and wrap it with decorative ornaments such as feathers and hide. It was a close combat weapon and had the ability to cut through the chest of an opponent.
Travois
To carry their tepees and other items when they moved, the Apache used something called a travois. The travois was a sled that could be filled with items and then dragged by a dog. When the Europeans brought horses to the Americas, the Apache started using horses to drag the travois.
Woven Baskets
The Apache women wove large baskets to store grain and other food.
Pottery
They also made pots from clay to hold liquids and other items.
What types of traditions did the Apache celebrate?
There are many different kinds of ceremonies including rites of passage—ceremonies which designate a change in social status such as the transition from child to adult—and healing ceremonies. Some include:
- Girls’ Puberty Ceremony - when a girl becomes a woman
- Cradle Ceremony - intended to ward off evil influences to baby's'
- First Moccasin Ceremony - celebrate a child's' first steps
- Holiness Rite - tend to sick people with bear and snake sickness
- Hoop Dance - a White Mountain Apache healing ceremony
- Lightning Ceremony - a White Mountain Apache ceremony which is done to protect the people from the danger of lightning.Also, brings the rain and insures good crops.
Geronimo (1829-1909)
Geronimo was the last warrior fighting for the Chiricahua Apache. He became famous for standing against the U.S. Government and for holding out the longest. He was a great spiritual leader and medicine man.
Mangas Coloradas (1797-1862)
Chiricahua Chief and natural leader because of his intelligence and size. Unusually tall, he was over six feet in height. Mangas united the Apache tribes and led them in a successful war of revenge and cleared the New Mexico area of white settlers.
Victorio (around 1825-1880)
Chiricahua Chief of the Warm Springs Apaches. When his people were removed from their ancestral home to the desolate reservation at San Carlos, Arizona, Victorio bolted for México with a group of followers. He and his people terrorized the border country with continual raids.
Where are the Apache now?
Survivors of the Lipan Apaches, a tribe which suffered heavily in the Texas wars, were brought from northern Chihuahua, Mexico about 1903. All became members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe when it was reorganized in 1936 under the provisions of the Indian Organization Act.
What is a unique fact about the Apache?
The Apache thought the number 4 was a lucky number because it was part of every day life. The reason they thought that was because it was the number of 4 directions: North, South, East, and West. They used the number 4 for almost every thing .