The Apache History
Apache Indians
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, with the Rio Grande River serving as the dividing line. The Apaches were typically nomadic, meaning they traveled around, never quite settling in one place.
They mostly survived by eating Buffalo meat, and using their hides as protective clothing. It has been said that they were one of the first tribes to learn how to ride and use horses. By 1700, a large portion of the Apache Indians had migrated to the Kansas plains. They were not accustomed to living and farming on the plains, but made due with some crops such as watermelon, beans, and corn. Eventually, their weakness was overtaken by the Comanche tribe. The Apaches were defeated and their land was seized, causing them to move onward to areas like New Mexico and Arizona. Still others went even more southward into Texas and parts of Mexico.
Around the 1730s, the Apache Indians began to battle with the Spaniards. The battles were long and bloody, and often resulted in many deaths. Finally in 1743 a Spanish leader agreed to designate areas of Texas for the Apaches to live, easing the battle over land. In a ceremony in 1749, an Apache chief buried a hatchet to symbolize that the fighting was over, thus the term we use today, “bury the hatchet.” As time went on, the Apache Indians developed a strong bond with the white men of the area. At first relationships were strong, and the Apache felt protected. As things progressed, however, raids began to take place that included the slaughter of their people and the theft of their goods and livestock. As of 1940, there was a record of only 35 Apache Indians living in the state of Oklahoma, and in 1970 a record of about 1,500 were documented in New Mexico.
Jicarilla Apache Indian History
Jicarilla (Mexican Spanish: `little basket'). An Athapascan tribe, first so called by Spaniards because of their expertness in making vessels of basketry. They apparently formed a part of the Vaqueros of early Spanish chronicles, although, according to their creation legend, they have occupied from the earliest period the mountainous region of southeast Colorado and northern New Mexico, their range at various periods extending eastward to western Kansas and Oklahoma, and into northwest Texas. The Arkansas, Rio Grande, and Canadian Rivers figure in their genesis myth (Mooney in Am. Anthrop., xi, 200, 1898), but their traditions seem to center about Taos and the heads of Arkansas River. They regard the kindred Mescaleros and also the Navaho as enemies, and, according to Mooney, their alliances and blood mixture have been with the Ute and Taos.
In language they are more closely related to the Mescaleros than to the Navaho or the Arizona Apache. The Jicarillas were first mentioned by this name early in the 18th century. Later, their different bands were designated Carlanes, Calchufines, Quartelejos, etc., after their habitat or chieftains. The Spaniards established a mission among there within a few leagues of Taos, N. Alex., in 1733, which prospered for only a short time. They were regarded as a worthless people by both the Spanish settlers of New Mexico and their American successors, in raids for plunder the worst Apache tribes, more treacherous and cruel and less brave and energetic warriors than the Ute, but equally fond of intoxicants.
While they sometimes planted on a small scale, they regarded theft as a natural means of support. The governor of New Mexico in 1853 induced 250 of the tribe to settle on Rio Puerco, but failure to ratify the treaty caused them to go on the warpath, maintaining hostility until their defeat by United States troops in 1854. Henceforward they were nominally at peace, although committing many petty thefts. In 1870 they resided on the Maxwell grant in northeast New Mexico, the sale of which necessitated their removal.
In 1872 and again in 1878 an attempt was made to move them south to Ft Stanton, but most of them were permitted to go to the Tierra Amarilla, on the northern confines of the territory on a reservation of 900 sq. m. set aside in 1874.
Their annuities being suspended in 1878 on account of their refusal to move southward in accordance with an act of Congress of that year, they resorted to thieving. In 1880 the act of 1878 was repealed, and a new reservation was set aside on the Rio Navajo, to which they were removed. Here they remained until 1883, when they were transferred to Ft Stanton, but in 1887 were again returned to the reservation set a side for them in the Tierra Amarilla region by Executive order of Feb. 11 of that year, where they have since resided. On this reservation 129,313.35 acres have been allotted to the Indians, and 280.44 acres reserved for mission, school, and agency purposes; the remainder, comprising 280,400 acres, is unalotted. Their population in 1905 was 795. The present divisions of the Jicarilla, as recorded by Mooney (JMS., B. A. E., 1897 ), are: Apatsiltlizhihi, Dachizhozhin, Golkahin, Ketsilind, and Saitinde.
Chiricahua Indian History
Chiricahua (Apache: `great mountain'). An important division of the Apache, so called from their former mountain home in southeast Arizona. Their own name is Aiaha.
The Chiricahua were the most warlike of the Arizona Indians, their raids extending into New Mexico, s. Arizona, and N. Sonora, among their most noted leaders being Cochise, Victorio, Loco, Chato, Nachi, Bonito and Geronimo. Physically they do not differ materially from the other Apache. The men are well built, muscular, with well-developed chests, sound and regular teeth, and abundant hair. The women are even more vigorous and strongly built, with broad shoulders and hips and a tendency to corpulency in old age. They habitually wear a pleasant open expression of countenance, exhibiting uniform good nature, save when in anger their face takes on a savage cast.
White thought their manner of life, general physique, and mental disposition seemed conducive to long life. Their characteristic long-legged moccasins of deerskin have a stout sole turning up at the toes, and the legs of the moccasins, long enough to reach the thigh, are folded back below the knee, forming a pocket in which are carried paints and a knife. The women wore short skirts of buckskin, and the men used to display surplus skins folded about the waist. Their arrows were made of reed tipped with obsidian or iron, the shaft winged with three strips of feathers. They used in battle a long spear and a slung-shot made by inserting a stone into the green hide of a cow's tail, leaving a portion of the hair attached. They possessed no knowledge of weaving blankets. White (MS., B. A. E.) supposed that they had immigrated into Arizona from New Mexico three or four generations back. Their camps were located on the highlands in winter that they might catch the warm rays of the sun, and in summer near the water among stunted trees that sheltered them from its scorching glare. Their bands or clans were named from the nature of the ground about their chosen territory. Both men and women were fond of wearing necklaces and ear pendants of beads. The hair was worn long and flowing, with a turban, to which was attached a flap hanging down behind; they plucked out the hairs of the beard with tweezers of tin, and wore suspended from their necks a small round mirror which they used in painting their faces with stripes of brilliant colors. Strings of pieces of shell were highly prized. Their customary dwelling was a rude brush hut, circular or oval, with the earth scooped out to enlarge its capacity.
In winter they huddled together for warmth and, if the hut was large, built a fire in the center. When they changed camp they burned their huts, which were always built close together. They subsisted on berries, nuts, and the fruit of various trees, mesquite beans, and acorns, of which they were particularly fond, and they ground the seeds of different grasses on a large flat stone and made a paste with water, drying it afterward in the sun. They relished the fruit of cacti and of the yucca, and made mescal from the root of the agave. Fish they would not eat, nor pork, but an unborn calf and the entrails of animals they regarded as delicacies, and horse and mule flesh was considered the best meat. Though selfish in most things, they were hospitable with food, which was free to anyone who was hungry. They were scrupulous in keeping accounts and paying debts like many other Indians they would never speak their own names nor on any account speak of a dead member of the tribe.
They tilled the ground a little with wooden implements, obtaining corn and melon seeds from the Mexicans. In their clans all were equal. Bands, according to White, were formed of clans, and chiefs were chosen for their ability and courage, although there is evidence that chiefship was sometimes hereditary, as in the case of Cochise, son and successor of Nache. Chiefs and old men were usually deferred to in council.
They used the brain of the deer in dressing buckskin. It is said that they charged their arrows with a quick deadly poison, obtained by irritating a rattlesnake with a forked stick, causing it to bite into a deer's liver, which, when saturated with the venom, was allowed to putrefy. They stalked the deer and the antelope by covering their heads with the skull of the animal and imitating with their crouching body the movements of one grazing; and it was their custom to approach an enemy's camp at night in a similar manner, covering their heads with brush.
They signaled war or peace by a great blaze or smoke made by burning cedar boughs or the inflammable spines on the giant cactus. Of their social organization very little is definitely known, and the statements of the two chief authorities are widely at variance. According to White, the children belong to the gens of the father, while Bourke asserts that the true clan system prevails. They married usually outside of the gens, according to White, and never relatives nearer than a second cousin. A young warrior seeking a wife world first bargain with her parents and then take a horse to her dwelling. If she viewed his suit with favor she would feed and water the animal, and, seeing that, he would come and fetch his bride, and after going on a hunt for the honeymoon they would return to his people. When he took two horses to the camp of the bride and killed one of them it signified that her parents had given her over to him without regard to her consent. Youth was the quality most desired in a bride. After she became a mother the husband might take a second wife, and some had as many as five, two or more of them often being sisters. Married women were usually faithful and terribly jealous, so that single girls did not care to incur their rage. A woman in confinement went off to a but by herself, attended by her women relatives. Children received their earliest names from something particularly noticeable at the time of their birth.
As among the Navaho, a man never spoke to his mother-in-law, and treated his wife's father with distant respect; and his brothers were never familiar with his wife nor lie with her sisters and brothers. Faithless wives were punished by whipping and cutting off a portion of the nose, after which `they were cast off. Little girls were often purchased or adopted by men who kept them until they were old enough for them to marry. Often girls were married when only 10 or 11 years of age. Children of both sexes had perfect freedom, were not required to obey, and never were punished. The men engaged in pastimes every day, and boys in mock combats, hurling stones at each other with slings. Young wives and maidens did only light work, the heavy tasks being performed by the older women. People met and parted without any form of salute. Kissing was unknown.
Except mineral vermilion, the colors with which they painted their faces and dyed grasses for baskets were of vegetal origin-yellow from beech and willow hark, red from the cactus. They would not kill the golden eagle, but would pluck its feathers, which they prized, and for the hawk and the bear they had a superstitious regard in a lesser degree. They made tizwm, an intoxicating drink, from corn, burying it until it sprouted, grinding it, and then allowing the mash diluted with water to ferment.