When history speaks about the Apache, they almost always refer to the warriors and leaders, Geronimo, Cochise and Mangas Colorado. There is much more to the Apache history that affects the land and culture in contemporary times. Whether referred to as a murderous renegades by the United States Army or as a heroic warriors by the Bedonkohe and the Chiricahua Apaches, they are unwilling to compromise the land they love. They did whatever was necessary to defend their interest, even if at times and it put them at odds with the Spaniards, Mexicans, the United States and ultimately other tribes.
Geronimo has been given many descriptions but was mostly known for his guerilla warfare that kept a quarter of the United States occupied with a band …show more content…
Fighting for their region became a way of life for the Apaches long before the United States was formed. They conducted bloody raids on the Spaniards, then Mexico and the newly formed government of the United States as the Americans made it clear they intended to restrict the old patterns of raiding and territorial use by the many Apache bands. Through time they contended for the same food source until the settlers received protection from the United States Army in the form of “Forts” built on the outskirts of the western frontier. The United States Army set limits on where the Apaches could live and how. Shortly after the arrival of the United States Army and the frontiersmen, the Apache were established on the Apache Pass Reservation in what is now known as Cochise County, in the south east corner of Arizona that included at least a portion of their homeland. Shortly after the Apache Pass War and the death of Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache were forcibly gathered with other Apache bands and moved 131 miles north to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation which was less than desirable location originally known to the government and the Apache as “Hell’s Forty Acres”. The Apache hated being confined to a location, especially since the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation was horribly …show more content…
They no longer have the pleasures of the chase or the glories of the warpath, they can only reminisce of the brave deeds of warriors past and the wrongs committed against their people. They can only hope and pray to have the liberty in returning to their ancestral land. Since the American Indian War, the descendants of the San Carlos Apache continue to feud with the federal government as their ancestors had done in the past. Today they defend their new land on the San Carlos Reservation, hoping they might keep it. In recent times the latest land grab is for the spiritual land of the Apache. In 2015, under a “must pass” National Defense Authorization Act, Senators McCain and Flake slipped in a bill for mining copper in Oak Flats. Although Oak Flat is 44 miles from San Carlos, it is equivalent to Mt Sinai which functions as an outdoor church, mosque or synagogue for praying and especially a coming of age for young women. Just recently two descendants of Mangas Coloradas, Victorio and Lozen had a coming of age in a similar fashion. These ceremonies and locations are important for the Apache, it allows them to understand and appreciate who they are, where they come from and it’s not just about tradition, it’s about what their family and ancestors fought for- pride, respect and the ability to hold onto their ancestral lands, and