The Apache Indains

The Apaches, like most Native Americans, have no written history other than that written by white men. But the story of the Apaches did not begin in the American Southwest but in the northwestern corner of North America, the western Subarctic region of Alaska and Canada. The Apache Indians belong to the southern branch of the Athabascan group, whose languages constitute a large family, with speakers in Alaska, western Canada, and American Southwest. The fact that the Apaches originated in the western mountainous Subarctic region makes their nomadic behavior after the arrival in the American Southwest more comprehensible; the tribes of the Southwest were highly mobile and moved from place to place depending on availability of food. They seemed unwilling to farm and settle into a permanent community as did many of the other tribes of the Southwest. . The Apaches went by numerous names. Because of their nomadic nature, it seems probable that several names were used to identify the same band or tribe. Some other names of the Apache were Limita, Conejero, and Trementia. The Apaches however, referred to themselves as the Inde or Dine, meaning “the people.” The Apaches were nomadic people, constant moving about in small bands subsisting almost completely off the buffalo, active roots and berries and on spoils captured in raids on other Indians, wagon trains and settlers. They dressed in buffalo skins and lived in tents made of tanned and greased hides, which they loaded on to dogs when they moved with the herds. They were among the first Indians, after the Pueblos, to learn to ride horses. Learning from runaway or captured Pueblos, the Apaches quickly adapted to their use of horses. Formally peaceful trade relationships with the Pueblos deterioted, however, as the Spanish discouraged trade with the Apaches and forced the Pueblos to work their farms. When the Pueblos became unwilling or unable to trade with the Apaches, the nomadic Indians their equestrian skills to raiding for horses and supplies. They continued to established rancherias, where they built huts and tended fields of maize, beans, pumpkins, and watermelons. This attempt to improve their source of food was a major cause of their defeat by the Comanches. Twice a year, during planting, and then again during harvesting, the Apaches were tied to their fields. As a result, the Comanches knew where to find their enemies. As the Comanches moved onto the buffalo hunting grounds, they pushed the Apache south, causing them to lose their main food source and to relay more heavily upon trading, raiding trading, and farming. Raiding had been something to Apache had only done once in awhile but now that they couldn’t hunt buffalo any longer raiding became necessary for their survival. The hostility between the Apache and the Spanish settlers increased when New Mexico became a Spanish Colony . From the time of the Spanish colonization until 1886 they were noted for their warlike disposition. According to the written history of whites, Apaches have always been hostile; in truth, serious warlike behavior could usually be attributed to belligerent behavior on the part of the whiteman, or misunderstandings between the two peoples.

Since no single food source could support their people for any length of time the Athabaskan continued to move around. Because they were accustomed to living in mountainous regions their migration southward followed the Rocky Mountain range until they eventually reached the Southwestern us, probably in the 1500's. The reason for all this southward trek is not so clear but is most likely because of lack of game and food. During the migration they broke into smaller bands that settled in various areas of the country. Those that landed in what are now the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah adopted some of the culture of the Pueblo Indians and eventually came to be known as Navajos; others, who became the Western Apaches, separated into smaller bands and roamed the region of what is now Arizona and northern Mexico. Despite their diverse locations the Athabaskan maintain a