Start here
Apache Identity: The Complexities of Being Apache in a Modern World
An overview of what being Apache means today: distinct nations, enrollment rules, language, media images, and life on and off reservations, with care for nuance.
Origins and Identity
Apache Identity
Belonging, self-names and media images of Apache people.
Apache Apache Identity: A Study of the Tribe's Early Self-Perception
What Apache groups call themselves, such as Ndé or Indeh, versus the outsider-derived name Apache, and what that suggests about early self-understanding.
Apache Identity and Belonging: The Complexities of Tribal Affiliation
How tribal enrollment, blood quantum rules, descent and community ties help decide who is recognized as a member of an Apache nation, and where they can diverge.
Apache Identity and the Media: A Look at the Portrayal of the Apache in Popular Culture
How Apache people have been portrayed in Westerns, novels and games, and how newer work by Native creators tells Apache stories from the inside.
Apache Identity: A Complex Mix of Tradition and Modernity
How Apache people, especially young people, combine family tradition and language with modern music, school, work and city life, without being defined by either.
The Apache and the Media: A Complex Relationship of Representation and Stereotype
The recurring stereotypes of Apache people in news, film and advertising, from the savage raider image to military and product naming, and why they matter.
The Apache Nation: A Complex Web of Tribes and Clans
There is no single Apache nation but several distinct tribes. This article explains how those tribes differ and how clan membership cuts across and within them.
Related topics
More in origins and identity
Apache Origins What scholarship and oral tradition say about Apache beginnings. Migration and Homelands How Apachean peoples came to the Southwest and Plains. Culture and Traditions Shared and distinct ways of life across Apache groups. Heritage Celebrations Powwows, night ceremonies and the many ways Apache communities describe and celebrate their heritage. Early History and Archaeology What evidence says about Apache life before written records. Diversity and Unity The many distinct Apache nations and the ties between them and their neighbours. Migration Stories Southward migration, settlement and the myths that surround Apache beginnings. Origins and Belonging How Apache peoples understand origin, identity and belonging, then and now. Southwest Migration The movement of Apachean ancestors into the Southwest and southern Plains. Western Apache Peoples The White Mountain, San Carlos, Cibecue and Tonto Apache and their homelands in what is now Arizona. Mescalero, Jicarilla, Lipan and Plains Apache The Apache peoples east of the Western Apache, from New Mexico to Texas and Oklahoma. Common Myths and Corrections Widespread mistakes about Apache peoples, and the documented facts.