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Apache Ceremonies and Rituals: A Guide to the Tribe's Spiritual Practices
A public-level overview of Apache ceremonies across Western Apache, Chiricahua, Mescalero and Jicarilla communities, and why much is kept private.
Spirituality and Stories
Ceremonies and Sacred Life
Ceremony, regalia and honoring the dead, at a public level only.
Apache Ancestral Spirits: Honoring the Dead
A restrained look at documented Apache mourning customs, including avoiding the names of the dead, and how practices differ between groups and families.
Apache Ceremonial Objects: The Sacred Artifacts of a People
Why Apache sacred objects are not for sale or display, how museum collections formed, and how repatriation under federal law returns some items to nations.
Apache Ceremonial Regalia: The Beauty and Significance of Traditional Dress
A general look at publicly shown Apache regalia, such as buckskin dresses and Mountain Spirit dancer attire, and why details of meaning are kept private.
Apache Ceremonies and the Environment: A Showcase of Spiritual and Cultural Practices
How Apache ceremony and belief are tied to specific mountains and places, and why disputes such as Oak Flat and Mount Graham are also about religion.
Apache Ceremonies: A Look at the Rituals and Rites of Passage
A public-level look at Apache coming-of-age observances, including the Sunrise Ceremony and the Jicarilla autumn feast, and why details are not shared.
Apache Ceremonies: A Showcase of Spiritual and Cultural Practices
Which Apache events welcome visitors, and the etiquette to follow, such as no photography, rather than treating ceremonies as a showcase for outsiders.
Apache Ceremonies: The Significance of Rituals and Spiritual Practices
What ceremony does for health, balance and community in Apache life, drawing on published ethnography and Apache-authored work rather than invented detail.
Apache Ghost Dances: A Haunting Tradition
The 1890 Ghost Dance was not a major Apache tradition. Learn about limited Plains Apache involvement and Apache prophet movements such as Nochaydelklinne.
The Apache People's Connection to the Land: Understanding Their Sacred Sites and Rituals
How Apache nations work to protect sacred sites today, including Mount Graham and Oak Flat, and how outsiders can respect closed areas and tribal rules.
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More in spirituality and stories
Spiritual Leaders Medicine people and ceremonial leadership, described with restraint. Legends and Oral Tradition Apache stories, holy beings and the values they teach. Spiritual Beliefs Public, general overviews of Apache belief and its ties to the land. Oral Tradition Storytelling as history, teaching and living tradition. Ceremonial Life Coming-of-age ceremonies, healing knowledge, music and dance, described with restraint. Ceremonies and Dances Examined What is and is not part of Apache ceremonial life, including common mix-ups with other nations’ dances. Rites of Passage Coming of age and life transitions among Apache peoples, at a public level.