Overview
This lecture covers the history, culture, and the struggles of the Apache people—focusing mainly on the Chiricahua Apache—examining their social structure, religious beliefs, key historical events, and their interactions with Europeans and Americans.
Apache Social Structure & Culture
- Apache society is matrilineal and matrilocal: family and property pass through the mother's line, and men move in with the wife's family.
- Women hold significant social and economic power, owning property and driving important ceremonies.
- Key ceremonies include those marking girls’ coming-of-age, which are major community and economic events.
Origins and Migration
- Apache are part of the Athabaskan (Aabaskcan) peoples, migrating from northwestern Canada to the Southwest about 600 years ago.
- They moved into lands abandoned by earlier civilizations (Ancestral Puebloans/Hisatenome and Mogollon) likely due to climate change.
Apache Economy and Raiding
- The Apaches survived by hunting, gathering, marginal agriculture, and gradually became known for raiding neighboring groups.
- Raiding was distinct from warfare: raids aimed to avoid violence and acquire goods, while war was waged for vengeance or survival.
Apache Groups & Geography
- Major Apache tribes: Plains Apache, Lipan, Mescalero, Chiricahua, Coyotero, and Navajo.
- The Chiricahua had four main bands: Chihenne, Chokonen, Nednhi, and Bedonkohe.
Religion and Spiritual Beliefs
- Apaches are monotheistic, worshipping Usen, with Gan spirits inhabiting mountains granting "power" or spiritual force.
- Religious ceremonies and power play key roles in leadership and social structure.
Conflict & Colonization
- Early conflicts with Spanish and Mexican colonists intensified with the discovery of copper and gold in Apache territories.
- The Chiricahua faced genocidal policies, scalp bounties, and betrayals by colonists.
U.S. Expansion and War
- After annexing northern Mexico (Gadsden Purchase, 1854), the U.S. targeted Apaches to pacify the new borderlands.
- The Apache Wars (circa 1860–1886) saw leaders like Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, and Geronimo oppose U.S. and Mexican forces.
- Major events include massacres, broken treaties, and forced relocations to poor reservations (San Carlos), resulting in massive population loss.
Surrender, Exile, and Survival
- Geronimo and remaining Chiricahua surrendered after prolonged pursuit, were exiled to Florida, Alabama, and finally Oklahoma.
- Many children died in boarding schools; survivors were scattered between reservations or integrated with the Mescalero Apache.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Matrilineal — Descent and inheritance traced through the mother.
- Matrilocal — Married couples live with or near the wife's family.
- Gan — Mountain spirits in Apache belief, source of spiritual power.
- Reservation — Area designated by the U.S. government for Native Americans.
- Gadsden Purchase — 1854 agreement transferring southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico to the U.S.
- Geronimo — Renowned Chiricahua Apache leader and medicine man.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the key Apache leaders and their roles in resistance.
- Explore the differences between raiding and warfare in Apache culture.
- Optional: Examine the effects of U.S. policy on Apache society for future discussion.