Just a little something I wrote to help people understand the people of my mother.


THe Nation Known As Apache


Where to start? The Apache is made up of about 20 different tribes, if you will. There are White Mountain, Tanto, lipan, Mescalero, Chirachau and Jicarilla, just to mention a few. I will talk about my mother's people the Jicarilla.

To begin with the word Apache, is Zuni for enemy, a very goos description. Tje Apaches did not play well with others, even other Apaches. The Jicarilla had only two friendly people around them. The Ute and partially the Pueblo; everyone else was fair game, but especially the Navajo and the Comache. The Jicariila were a mountain people who grew some veggies as well as hunting buffalo. THey grew corn and beans, mostly. They also gathering wild edibles from the land. They lived in tipis, whereas other Apache lived in conical shelter known as a wikiup.

The Apache speak N'de or Inde. Where most western tribes had a warrior society that was for the protection of the tribe, the Apache had no such society, all Apache were tasked with the protection of the band. Apaches were best in small groups, both hunting and warfare.

Much was said about the Apache but my fav was an apache would ride a horse until it dropped dead, eat it, run to the next place and steal another.

The Jicarilla legend says that the nation enter his world new modern day Taos, there natural area was Southern Colorado, Northern and Eastern New Mexico, western Nebraska and oklahomna and extreme Nothern Texas. The Jicarilla fought with all their neighbors few nyears and then with the Spanish and Mexicans and finally the Americans.

A state of war existed between the Jicarilla and the Us and in the 1850's an American named Kit Carson talked the Ute and the Jicarilla to help subjugate the Navajo. After many long years the Navajo surrendered and as a reward the Jicarilla and Ute were imprisoned along with the Navajo. To this day Kit Carson is a bastard to the Jicarilla, not the good guy history makes him.

Some Jicarilla were used as scouts for the Army during Geronimo's adventures. And once again they suffered the same fate as the Chirachua at the end of Geronimo's adventures.

Today the Jicarilla has the best hunting in New Mexico and of course, they are looking for the quick fix that is gaming. Traditionalist on the rez are not happy with some of the directions the tribe has taken.

JIcarilla have very few ceremonies, if you will. They celebrate the puberty ceremony, the bear dance, a healing thing, and to some extent the sun dance. The Apache are a spiritual people but not so as that it interferred with daily life. They are a private people, that trust few. They look after their own and all others are on their own. It is a family thing, that if someone is disrespected, revenge was in order. My grandfather always said two things1-If you are going to be stupid you must be strong. and 2- Revenge is just a harsh word for justice.

So one can see there are some similarities between the Apache and the Arabs; if Arabs had been in the US southwest they would have been Apache.


CHUQ
19/03/07

Great post CHUQ.