Madelyn Dinger

December 13th 2010

MWLA Period 5

Come visit the Apache

Imagine yourself as part of a tribe. Imagine sitting around a fire listening and exchanging stories

with friends and family. Imagine hunting with your neighbors. Picture yourself being “one with the

land”! I recommend that you should have this experience. The Apache Tribe had done the following

things and you should try it out! You too can have fests, hunt and “be one with the land”.

For any noted event, the Apache tribe would host and celebrate a fest which lasted for about for

about four days. Everyone is invited. You, family, and friends and even neighboring tribes! When the

Apache have their tribal fests, they would eat all day, and by night, they would gather around a fire and

would dance, sing, tell stories, and play games. The warrior of the tribe would lead the songs, which

have no official lyrics, but they have specific tones and sounds. There are a variety of games to play

during the fest as well. Horse races, jumping, wrestling, gambling, and foot races were held. No matter

where you are in the tribe, you will have something fun to do!

The men of the tribe are the ones who hunt for their tribes meat supply. Usually the children

would start learning how to hunt when the y are about eight years old. Hunting is an everyday thing for

the Apache people. The things people would use from hunting ending up to be blankets, clothing,

shelter and food. Not one bit of the prey went to waste, each part of the hunted animal went to use.

When hunting, the hunters would first cover themselves with animal fat to keep their prey from

smelling them than running away. The main animals hunted in the Apache region were mountain lion,

buffalo, bear, fox, javelin, coyote, wild turkey, deer and any other wild game they could kill. Fish, dogs,

snakes and turkey were considered unclean, so they wouldn’t eat them. When the Apache people would

hunt the bald eagle, they wouldn’t eat it as food. It was only used for the eagles’ feathers.

The Apache tribe is religious though they had no holidays, church, or Sabbath days. The Apache

had ceremonies which they called “dances”. The Apache had rain dance (a harvest and good crop

dance), a spirit dance, a puberty right, and the sunrise dance for young women. The Apache believed

that spirits would remain in places where there was neither stress nor disease. The Apache wouldn’t do

things that would cause harm to the land, but they would live at piece with the land as if they were

“one” with it.

Sure if you don’t have much fun going to festivals, hunting, or are close minded about religions,

you don’t have to visit if you don’t want to. That’s ok. The Apache are a very open minded people and

very trusting so they would accept anyone.

The Apache was a wonderful civilization to have gotten to know and not many people know of

them. People should become more aware of their culture, how they lived and should visit sometime!

For they frequently have exciting festivals, hunting games, and everything they do is out of religion. I

recommend your visitation with the Apache so you can fulfill your dreams!

Citation

Interview by Geronimo. 20/5/1999. Biography. Web 12 Dec 2010. <http://www.impurplehawk.com/aplife.html>.