Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Apache Indian
tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students
and teachers to visit our Apache language and
culture
pages for in-depth information
about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with
Apache pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.
Apache Tribe
How do you pronounce the word "Apache"? What does it mean?
It's pronounced "uh-PAH-chee." It means "enemy" in the language of their Zuni neighbors. The Apaches' own name for themselves was traditionally
Nde or Ndee (which means "the people"), but today most Apache people use the word "Apache" themselves, even when they are speaking
their own language.
Where do the Apaches live?
The Apache are natives of the Southwest deserts (particularly in Arizona,
New Mexico, and
Texas). Some Apache people were also located across the border in northern
Mexico. One Apache band, the Na'ishan or Plains Apache, lived far away from the other Apaches,
in what is now Oklahoma. Their customs were different from other Apaches,
more similar to their Kiowa neighbors. For that reason, the Americans often called
the Na'ishan "Kiowa-Apaches."
The Plains Apaches are still living in Oklahoma today. Some Apaches from other bands were captured and sent to live in Oklahoma by the Americans
in the 1800's, while other Apaches resisted being moved and remain in Arizona and New Mexico today. The total Apache Indian population today
is around 30,000.
How is the Apache Indian nation organized?
There are thirteen different Apache tribes in the United States today: five in Arizona, five in New Mexico, and three in Oklahoma.
Each Arizona and New Mexico Apache tribe lives on its own reservation. Reservations are lands that belong to Indian tribes and are
under their control. The Oklahoma Apaches live on trust land.
Each Apache tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Apaches
are also US citizens and must obey American law.
In the past, each Apache band was led by its own chief, who was chosen by a tribal council. Most important decisions were made
by the council, and all the Apache councilmembers had to agree before an action could be taken. An Apache chief was more like a tribal
chairman than a president. Most of his job was mediating between other Apaches. Most Apache tribes still use tribal councils for their government
today.
What language do the Apache Indians speak?
Almost all Apache people speak English today, but many Apaches also speak their native
Apache language, which is closely related to Navajo. Apache is a complex language with tones and many
different vowel sounds. Most English speakers find it very difficult to pronounce.
If you'd like to know a few easy Apache words, "ash" (rhymes with 'gosh') means "friend" in Western Apache,
and "ahéhe'e" (pronounced similar to ah-heh-heh-eh) means "thank you."
You can read a Apache picture glossary here.
What was Apache culture like in the past? What is it like now?
Here are the homepages of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and
White Mountain Apache Tribe.
On their sites you can find information about the Apache people from ancient times until today.
You can also visit this site about the
Apache Jii Festival, which has information and photographs about San Carlos Apache culture
for kids.
How do Apache Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house.
Many Apache children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more
chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did have
dolls, toys, and games to play.
Apache children liked to run footraces and play archery games.
Once the Apaches acquired horses, girls and boys as young as five years old
learned how to ride. A Apache mother traditionally carried her baby in a
cradleboard
on her back--a custom which many American parents have
adopted now.
What were men and women's roles in the Apache tribe?
Apache women were in charge of the home. Besides cooking and taking care of children, Apache women built new houses for their families every
time the tribe moved their location. Though it was rare for an Apache woman to become a warrior, girls learned to ride and shoot just like the boys
did, and women often helped to defend Apache villages when they were attacked. Apache men were hunters, warriors, and political leaders.
Only men were chiefs in the Apache tribe. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
What were Apache homes like in the past?
Most Apache people lived in wickiups, which are simple wooden frames covered by a matting of brush and sometimes a
buffalo-hide tarp. Wickiups were small dwellings, often the size of a modern camp tent, and an Apache woman could build a new wickiup in
two hours if there was enough brush available.
Here are some pictures of Indian brush houses.
The Plains Apaches and some Lipan Apaches used buffalo-hide tipis as housing instead, which are more spacious and
easier to heat than wickiups.
Apache people today do not normally use old-fashioned houses like a teepee or wickiup for shelter, any more than you live in a log cabin.
Most Apaches live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
However, some followers of the traditional Apache religion do live in modified larger wickiups, because their beliefs require
them to burn down and rebuild their houses whenever there is a death in the family, which can't be done in an apartment.
What was Apache clothing like? Did the Apaches wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Originally Apache women wore buckskin dresses and the men wore leather war shirts and
breechcloths.
In the 1800's, many Apache men began to wear white cotton tunics and pants, which they adopted from the Mexicans,
and many Apache women wore calico skirts and dresses.
The Apaches wore moccasins or high moccasin boots
on their feet. An Apache lady's dress or warrior's shirt was often fringed and beaded for decoration.
Here is a site about the symbolism of Plains Indian war shirts,
and some photos and links
about Indian costume in general.
The Apaches did not traditionally wear feather warbonnets, but
the Plains Apaches adopted these headdresses from their Kiowa allies.
Other Apache people wore leather or cloth headbands instead. Women usually wore their hair long and loose or gathered into a bun.
Many young Apache women fastened their buns with hourglass-shaped hair ornaments called nah-leens. We haven't
yet found a good photo of a nah-leen to share with you, but here is a photograph of some
Caddo women wearing the same type of hair fastener.
Apache men often cut their hair to shoulder length (except in the Plains Apache tribe.) Both sexes liked to wear shell jewelry, especially
choker-style necklaces. The Apaches also painted their faces for special occasions.
They used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration.
Today, some Apache people still have moccasins or a buckskin dress, but they
wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths...
and they only wear traditional regalia on special occasions like a wedding or a dance.
What was Apache transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?
No--the Apache Indians weren't coastal people, and rarely traveled by river. Originally they just walked.
There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe, so the Apaches used dogs pulling
travois (a kind of drag sled) to help them carry their belongings. Once Europeans brought horses to America, the Apaches quickly
became expert riders and could travel much more quickly than before.
What was Apache food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Apaches were not farming people like their cousins the Navajos. Primarily they were hunters. Apache men hunted buffalo, deer, antelope,
and small game, while women gathered nuts, seeds, and fruit from the environment around them. Although they were not farmers, the Apaches still ate
corn frequently. They got it by trading with the Pueblo tribes and the Spanish, or by capturing it during raids.
What were Apache weapons and tools like in the past?
Apache hunters used bows and arrows. In war, Apache men fired their bows or fought with
long spears and buffalo-hide shields.
What other Native Americans did the Apache tribe interact with?
The Apaches traded regularly with other tribes of the Southwest. They particularly liked to trade for corn from agricultural tribes like the
Navajo and Pueblo tribes.
More often, though, the Apaches were known for raiding neighboring tribes and stealing horses, corn, and other goods. The Apaches had
different ideas about war than Europeans did. The Europeans considered a direct attack honorable but thought sneaking in and stealing things was
cowardly. But to the Apaches, stealthily raiding another tribe's camp was a brave deed because it meant risking their own lives,
but attacking the camp openly would be shameful, because children and old people were likely to be hurt.
Apache warriors usually only fought real wars over matters of revenge or defending their lands from invaders, like when they fought against the
Mexicans and Americans. At other times, Apache men went on raids primarily to prove their courage.
What are Apache arts and crafts like?
Apache artists are famous for their fine beadwork
and basketry.
Here is a website with many pictures of Apache baskets.
What kinds of stories do the Apaches tell?
There are lots of traditional Apache legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the
Apache Indian culture. Here is a Jicarilla Apache story about how fire came to the Apaches.
What about Apache religion?
Sorry, but we cannot help you with religious information. Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately
in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the
Mescalero Apache ceremonies
or this site about Native American belief in general.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may enjoy this book of Chiricahua Apache legends,
or the charming illustrated legend The Flute Player
for a younger child. Older kids may like reading a biography of
Geronimo, the famous warrior and holy man
of the Chiricahuas, or of Apache chief Cochise.
If you want to know more about Apache culture and history, two good books are
The Apache Indians and
The Apache.
Apache Children and Elders Talk Together is a nice
introduction to Apache culture and family life for younger readers.
You can also browse through our reading list of recommended Native American books in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. Our names are Laura Redish and
Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. The site was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2009.
Thanks for your interest in the Apache Indian people and their language!
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