Apache Nation - White Mountain Apache

So, you've decided to join us...welcome!! 

The Team Member Manual the folks at Forward Edge provided us speaks of "Four Modules" to help prepare us for this trip. The first and last module, Personal Preparation and Time Alone With God, respectively, has been greatly aided by the devotional book that Ray gave to us all. The third module, Working As A Team, I think is something that we're all going to have to "aid" each other on. J Here’s some aid on the second module, Cultural Orientation. But let us not forget the greatest aid any of these can be given...prayer.
Yes, I know - Forward Edge has already given us a cultural handbook. I'm sure that with all the end-of-the-school-year happenings and personal schedules, not all of us have gotten a chance to really read that handbook.  We are not learning about "the Apache, a tribe of Southwest Native Americans..." We are learning about a people, a people that God created just like us.
Apache are a people very connected to the earth. All is Great Spirit's creation and He resides in everything from the rocks to the animals, to themselves. There is not really any such thing as "religion" - it is a way of life. Live by the Great Spirit everyday; worship Him as often as the sun rises every morning. Everything has a purpose and a place.  If any of this sounds familiar, smile. We've all listened to and joined in singing that song about coming back to the heart of worship. You know, where it's all about God. All about Jesus. Sometimes we get too wrapped up in clutter, too wrapped up period in the complexity of things that we can't see how simple it really is.
Now, this missions trip... After spending 2 hours one Sunday night complicating a very simple, very powerful message, I can't say I disagree with what was said at the end of that night. As it was put bluntly and plainly, it's not about us. Nor is it about "Turn Around" or any of the drama skits. It's not about the basketball games or crafts. It's not about spending a week in Arizona. All that stuff is just side-tracks and we're all guilty of it.  It's about God. It's about Jesus. He's everywhere, He's going to be right there with us in Arizona and I'm certain that no matter what, He's going to make this trip work in His way. Not ours. We are not there really to perform skits or drive-by games. We're there to be purposeful hands in God's work. 
An Abenaki man once told me that there is a reason why the Creator gave humans two ears and two eyes, but only one mouth. The ears and eyes make us still so we can listen and observe while the mouth makes noise so we are deaf and blind. I even have to keep reminding myself about this, so please don't take this as preaching. :) 
Now, to end this, I'd like to place a lyric here from Phil Joel, song "The Man You Want Me To Be". 
When all You wanted was for me 
To be still 

This was planned with intentions that it serves as an added source for the folks of the South Congregational Church 2003 missions team. This was created with respect and deep reverence for the Native American people, especially the White Mountain Apache. The contents of these pages were “borrowed” from various internet sites containing “free contents”, as well as from books containing information pertaining to the Apache people. Save for the “free contents” material that can be found at numerous web sites, resources used are listed and given full credit.  The best has been done to ensure that permission has been asked where needed, and credit given for everything used.  By absentminded oversight, mistakes may have been made and folks may have been inadvertently offended. These are not my intentions and I apologize for any offense or disapproval unintentionally caused. Please let me know how to fix any mistakes made. :) 

N’dee…or the People
Where they came from:
The exact origin of the name 'Apache' has been clouded by time. They called themselves N'dee, or "the people". The earliest Spaniards exploring New Mexico translated the Zuni name for the nearby Navajo as 'Apachis de Nabaju'. They were known by the Ute as 'Awatchi'. The Yuma called the Apache "fighting men" and in Zuni they were known as "the enemy". 
It is thought that the Apache people may have originally migrated to the Southwest around 850 AD from northwestern Canada. Other tribes of the same language family, then residing along the eastern rim of the Rockies may have also come to the Southwest with the Apache. It's a possibility that the Navajo people came to the Southwest in this migration, as they share the same language family and are the Southwest tribe closest to the Apache. The Navajo may have later split apart and became a tribe in their own right, following the farming ways of the Pueblo and departing from the nomadic life of the Apache. The migration theory is supported by the fact that the Apache were not farmers like their Southwest neighbors, but rather moved from place to place following the hunt and seasons. Apache myths, their language and ceremonial rites are also very similar to those of the Northwest tribes and tribes in Western Siberia. 
The Apache were considered a fierce people by their farming neighbors, as they were a nomadic, hunting people. They also fought fiercely to defend their people and their sacred lands from other tribes and invaders from Mexico, as well as from the westward moving settlers later. Spanish explorers first encountered the Apache in the 1540s AD and called them "Vaqueros" or "cattlemen" because of their hunting lifestyle. The Spanish push northward displaced Apache people and they defended their land with the use of guerilla tactics. These same tactics were used to turn back invasions of Mexicans, other tribes and even the Americans. Apache were greatly feared by these people until they were forced onto reservations in the mid-1800s. 
In all, this earned them the reputation of a war-like character, and the names they were known as by neighboring tribes and people who came in contact with Apache warriors. 
Where they lived:
The entire expanse of the Apache homeland covered Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah and even as far south as Mexico. Because of having such a large area known to be "Apache lands" or "Apacheria" as it has come to be known, the Apache are composed of 6 regional groups or bands. Some of the bands include even smaller bands of Apache, such as the White Mountain Apache. Language, customs and such differ slightly between some of the regions - for example, the Kiowa-Apache have adopted some of the Plains tribes' ways. The 6 regional bands of Apache are: 
·	Western Apache, also known as Coyotero includes White Mountain, Cibueque, San Carlos, Northern and Southern Tonto bands - occupy most of eastern Arizona
·	Chiricahua Apache - occupy southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and the Mexican states of Chihuahuah and Sonora
·	Mescalero Apache, also known as Faraon - occupy east of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, with Pecos River as its eastern boundary
·	Jicarilla Apache, "little basket" - occupy southeastern Colorado, northern New Mexico, northwest Texas
·	Lipan Apache - occupy lands directly to the east of the Jicarilla 
·	Kiowa-Apache, also known as Gataka - Apache associated with the Plains tribe Kiowa, occupy southern Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas

A 1680 count records the number of Apache at about 5,000. Five thousand Apache people roamed the Southwest. By 1989, about 30,000 people are registered and known Apache tribe members, most on reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. 
Today, there are three Apache reservations in Arizona - Fort Apache Reservation, San Carlos Reservation and the Yavapai-Apache Reservation. There is a Jicarilla and a Mescalero reservation in New Mexico, as well as a Lipan Apache reservation in Oklahoma, the Fort Sill Reservation. The only reservation I will detail the history of here, of course, will be the Fort Apache Reservation, home of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
Communication:
The Apache spoken language is a member of the Athapascan language family, the same family that the northwest US, western Canada and Alaskan tribes' languages belong to. The Navajo also speak an Athapascan-based language. It is a very tonal language, much like Chinese or Vietnamese.  Like many Athapascan languages, Apache has animacy in its grammar, with certain nouns taking different verb forms from others according to their “rank”.  Like Navajo, there are four vowels - A, E, I, O - and these may all be pronounced nasally, long, high in tone or all three.  
 Different bands of the Apache speak different variations, or dialects of Apache.  Below are a few Apache words we may see around the reservation…
Hon Dah - Be our guest (greeting); N’dee - people; ni - ground, earth; Bik’ehgo’iki’dan - God
Here is a verse from a song in Apache, followed by it’s American translation…
K’adíí Jesus Biká’ Hishaa£, Doo 			I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
1. K´adíí Jesus biká’ hishaa£, doo,  			(I have decided to follow Jesus)
K´adíí Jesus biká’ hishaa£, doo,			(I have decided to follow Jesus)
K´adíí Jesus biká’ hishaa£, doo, 			(I have decided to follow Jesus)
Chorus: Doo t’ââzhï ’ da, Doo t´ââzhï ’ da.  		Chorus: No turning back, no turning back
The Apache also used smoke signaling to communicate over long distances.  Like many native peoples, they also told stories in the form of images known as pictographs.  When trading, sign language was used to communicate with other tribes and later with settlers.  
A place to call home:
They lived in homes called wikiups.  A wikiup was a small dome-shaped hut that was usually built by the women.  A level spot on the earth was dug and a circle roughly 8ft across was drawn on the spot.  Beside the circle, a small trench was then built and thin poles of willow or oak were placed upright to make the dome shape.  The tops of the poles were pulled together and tied with yucca plant strands.  The outside of the frame was then covered with bundles of grass and branches.  The top of the wikiup was only 5-6ft high in the center and an opening was left at the top to allow fire smoke to escape in cold weather.  Only a few Apache lived in tipis or earth hogans.
Women also built a type of upright shade, a roof supported by four poles, called a ramada.  These armadas shaded the people from the hot Arizona sun when they were outdoors and often provided shelter as the women worked around the camp.  

Dinnertime:
The women would gather plants.  Yucca fruit was harvested in the spring.  In late spring, they harvested mescal cactus, a large-leafed plant that grows in the shape of a cabbage head, but tastes like squash.  Other foods that were gathered were nuts like pinons, acorns, prickly pears, sumac berries, cactus, mountain plants, lip fern, corn, wild potatoes, chokecherries, pitahaya cactus, salt, honey, mulberries, juniper and mesquite.  Plants gathered were steamed in a deep pit.  The pit would be lined with stones and a fire would be built in it.  The fire would be allowed to burn out and plants were piled on top of the hot stones.  They were then covered in wet grass and left for most of the day.  Later on, some of the steamed plants would be dried for the cold season.  Berries were pounded into small cakes and dried in the sun.  Once winter came, the Apache buried their food for safekeeping.
As has been mentioned before, the Apache were a nomadic people, moving throughout the Southwest, following the hunt and seasons. They never lived in any one place long. They practiced only limited farming and in times of a bad hunt or lack of food, they would raid neighboring tribes or settlers to feed their people.  The men hunted for food when they could.  They hunted by foot and later, when horses were reintroduced to North America, they hunted by horse.  They ate and hunted prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, deer, elk, antelope, wild turkeys, small birds, wood rats, horses, mules, mountain sheep and turtles.  Occasionally, they hunted buffalo.  Anything furry that was deemed edible they hunted.  The only animals Apache never really touched were fish, or any animal that lived in water.
What they wore:
Early on, Apache clothing was made from deer hide or other animal hides.  Each hide was soaked in water and then stretched and rubbed to make it soft.  Hair, both human and animal, was used to decorate clothing.  
Men wore breechcloths and moccasins in warm weather.  In the cold weather, they wore shirts that came almost to the their knees and leggings.  Their moccasins usually reached to the knee or slightly above in usual Apache style.  The soles were covered with rough, untreated animal skin.  Men wore a simple headband of deerskin and later, trade cloth.  In the 1800s, men began wearing vests much like the settlers and Mexicans wore.  
Women wore skirts in warm weather, with the edges fringed.  Sometimes, the dresses were decorated with porcupine quills.  They wore high boot top moccasins.  Women usually wore their hair long and straight rather than the common braids other Native Americans wore.  By the late 1800s, the women were wearing Mexican clothing made of colorful cottons.  
Leisure time:
The Apache women were well-known basket weavers.  When they were on the move and traveling, women packed all that they possessed in baskets that could carry heavy loads.  They were known as Apache burden baskets and they hung across their backs and shoulders.  They were made from different plants, reeds and shrubs.  Most were made from yucca leaves, willow reeds or juniper bark.  Flowers made dyes that were used to paint designs on the baskets.  The Apache were known to use the coiling and twining technique.  
Once the food from a hunt had been properly eaten and the extra stored, everything else was used - furs were used for warm clothing and decoration, skins were used for everyday clothing, teeth were used to adorn things, bones were used to make tools.  Nothing was wasted.  From deer and elk tendons, they made sinew to sew things with.  Animal stomachs were sometimes used as boiling pots or water canteens.  Deer brains were used in a process of leather tanning called braintan.  Turtle shells were also used to make ceremonial rattles or for carrying things.  The men fashioned tools and weapons in their free time from bones.  Spears, bows, arrows and lances were made, using different parts.  Knifes were often made from deer scapula or ribs from larger animals.  
Any leisure time adult Apache had was usually used to aid in the everyday life of the tribe, whether it was making tools to hunt with or clothes to keep warm with.  Children played games like Moaning Stick and learned from the elders how to make things and get along in the life of the tribe.
Customs & Religion, pre-Christianity:
They were a matrilineal society, meaning that blood lines were traced through the mother's side. Women were traditionally the gatherers and makers while the men were traditionally the hunters and warriors.  It was the women who built wikiups, made clothing, built ramadas, gathered food.  Women went through a 4 day ceremony upon reaching puberty where it was believed that they possess the power to heal. 
Men would often marry a girl and then live with her and her kin.  Polygamy was practiced when economic circumstances permitted - marriage could be easily terminated by either party.  Religion is a fundamental part of every day Apache life - they lived every day and every movement by it.
The Apache really didn’t have as much of a religion as they had a lifeway,  a symbionic relationship with the Great Spirit and all in His creation.  Everything in nature has special power and some animals are possessed by evil spirits or ghosts.  They believe in the Great Spirit.  They believe in four dances or ceremonies - a rain dance, girls’ puberty dance, a harvest and good crop dance and a spirit dance.  They are devout in what they believe and pray often and in many different ways.  They believe that Apache spirits go on to dwell in a land of peace and plenty, where there is no disease or death.  It is impolite to speak of the deceased.  When one was deceased, their wikiup was usually burned with all the person’s belongings in an attempt to speed them forward on their journey in the afterworld and not hang back haunting those living.  They believe that mountain spirits called Gan were sent to show the Apache how to live.  These spirits got upset after the Apache ignored their teachings and so the Apache try to bring them back by portraying them in ceremonial dances.  
When a girl first enters puberty, she is entering a time of her life that the Apache call “The Changing Woman.”  As a result, she is given a ceremonial dance known as the Sunrise Dance.  During this ceremony, it is believed that the girl possesses special powers to heal.  She is given sacred tools that will guide her throughout her adult life.  This ceremony is passed from generation to generation among the White Mountain Apache.  
A White Mountain Apache girl’s telling of the Sunrise Ceremony
The Sunrise Dance is a four day event that begins on a Friday and ends on a Monday. The first day is Friday, an important day for the medicine man because it is now his duty to take over the spiritual preparations.  A sweat lodge is built by the girl's family, in which the medicine man prepares and makes the scared tools the girl uses in the dance. He will make the cane which the girl will use in her old age. In addition, he will bless all the special tools, such as the eagle feather, abalone shell, deer-skin, ribbons, prayer stones, and anything else that is used in the ceremony. As the medicine man prepares the tools, there are many sacred songs sung in the Apache language. The men in the sweat lodge will sing and pray most of the day. While this is taking place, the woman also have a role to fulfill. They cook special food for everyone who comes into the camp., The special girl is also expected to take food into the sweat camp at noon and to leave the food at the outskirts of the lodge. 
Before sundown on this special Friday, everyone is gathered for the occasion of the dressing of the girl. This is when the godmother dresses the girl with the sacred tools the medicine man has made and blessed. The purpose of the sacred tools are as follows. The eagle feather in the girl hair is for strength and guidance. The abalone shell that is tied to her hair is positioned in front of her forehead as a symbol of the changing woman. The deer-skin (buck-skin) symbolizes the sacred animal. The design sewed on the dress and the tin cones placed on the fringes of the outfit represent the spirits. The cane that she uses through the dance is to support her and also provide her with strength. The ribbon attached to the cane signifies the cardinal colors of black, blue, yellow, and white. 
After the dressing of the girl take place, the next stage is to have the medicine man make a speech. The medicine man's speech is to focus on the gifts of the Sunrise Dance Ceremony and how important it is to be prayerful during the next four days. Many small rituals must be performed and abided by. The medicine man explains to the girl that she must not touch her body, therefore, she is given a scratch. Because the girl cannot touch water, a reed is given to her through which to drink from. The medicine man hopes that the girl will listen, learn, and open her heart to all that she will face. This will mold her into a knowledgeable woman 
The second day, early Saturday morning, the girl is told that one of the medicine man's helpers will come to the camp to awaken her. The girl and her friend are escorted to the dance ground, where she must prepare the blankets. Four blankets are placed flat on the ground. Then, a buck-skin is placed over the blankets. The purpose is for the girl to dance on them and to be massaged upon it. After this takes place, a large abalone shell, which is full of pollen, is placed at the east front of the buck-skin. Now the girl will begin the actual dance. The dance will last approximately three to six hours and is a real test of her physical and spiritual endurance. On this , second morning, the girl will dance in a camp dress, which is two piece long length dress. This dress is fashioned after the white settlers, and a buck-skin top is placed over the dress. 
Late in the evening, the Crown Dancers will appear. They are Mountain Spirit Dancers who will bless and guide the girl through the dance this evening. The Crown Dancers have crowns that are made in advanced by the medicine man. The total number of Crown Dancers is five. There are four regular dancers and one clown. The special girl is lovely as she dances holding in her hand the cane decorated with ribbons. The dance with the Crown Dancers will give the special girl blessings and will guide her through the dance around the fire. Her friend will give her the gift of encouragement by dancing with her. This dance is a very spiritual dance because while the Crown Dancers and the girls dance, they form a spirit that is felt, not only by them, but by the surrounding people. The girl has danced at sunrise and now she dances until midnight. The dance is completed for the night, and tomorrow will bring to the girl a greater gift than today. The girl will rest now, for a few hours because at sunrise, she will awaken and be ready again for the Sunday dance. 
Saturday was the woman's day, and Sunday is the man's day. Prior to this day, the girl grinds some corn and other natural ingredients for the sacred clay that she will be painted with this morning. Her godfather appears and he approaches her while singing. He paints her with a brush that is dipped into the mixture. As he brushes the clay onto the girl, he must pray powerful prayers and encourage the girl to finish. The painting is a blessing for peace, prosperity, and fertility. He then sprays the crowd with the paint as he flicks the brush in the air. After the painting of the girl, people go up to her and bless her. At the same time, they ask for blessings from her., The first to line up, is the medicine man, the men of the tribe, and then the woman of the tribe. After receiving the last blessing, the dance is over. 
After the painting ceremony is over, the young men who were the Spirit Dancers must now dance one more time. Then a special person comes up to speak, following the Crown Dancers, and the prayer sworn by the Crown Dancers shall be put to rest forever. These prayers are sacred and no one else will repeat what has been said by the dancers. The prayers of the medicine man lead the dancers, as they are now free to leave. The Apache people send them on their way with thanks for having come as special guests, because they are considered sacred beings. On Sunday after this is done, the girl is finally free to rest. 
On the fourth day, Monday morning, the final prayers are said by the medicine man. First the girl is undressed. Each item that has been worn is now taken off, one by one, by her godmother.  The Sunrise dance has now been completed.