Honor as something people do
In the present day, honor in Apache communities is less a matter of famous episodes than of how people behave toward relatives, neighbours and the community. It shows in who shows up for a funeral, who helps with a family event, who looks after an elder and who stands up for a young person who is struggling. This article looks at three of the clearest public expressions, military service, community work and ceremony, and it speaks in general terms. Apache nations are distinct, and no one practice applies to all.
Military service
Apache men and women have served in the United States armed forces across many conflicts. During the two World Wars and in later conflicts, Native Americans served at rates that are often described as high in proportion to their population, and Apache communities are part of that record. The facts of Apache veterans in the World Wars are broadly documented, though this article avoids quoting numbers that it cannot verify.
Service is often described by community members in terms of protecting family and homeland, and of continuing an older sense of responsibility to those who depend on you. It is also true that people serve for many different reasons, including employment, education, family tradition and personal choice, and that some have mixed feelings about the relationship between their nation and the federal government. These perspectives exist side by side.
Veterans are widely honored at community gatherings, powwows and other events, and some nations hold veterans’ ceremonies or maintain memorials. The details differ from place to place. Apache people also served as Army scouts in the nineteenth century, a different and more contested chapter in which individuals faced very limited choices, and it should not be confused with modern voluntary service.
Community work
Honor in modern life is also visible in ordinary service. Many Apache people work in tribal government, schools, clinics, wildland firefighting crews, police and fire departments, land and wildlife offices, and cultural programs. Others volunteer with churches, youth sports, funeral support, food drives and community events. In small communities, a few reliable people often carry a great deal of this work.
Several values recur in discussions of this work:
- Reliability. Doing what you said you would do.
- Generosity. Sharing time, food and resources, a theme related to Apache gift giving and hospitality.
- Respect for elders. Listening to older relatives and making sure they are cared for.
- Responsibility to the next generation. Mentoring young people and teaching skills and language.
These are not unique to Apache communities, and the people who live them would not say they are. What gives them a particular character is the setting: a history of loss, a strong sense of kinship and a determination to keep a community going.
Ceremony, at a public level
Ceremony is a place where honor and respect are expressed in some of the most meaningful ways, and it is also an area where restraint is needed. Many Apache ceremonies are private or are open only to those with a role in them. This site does not describe sacred details, songs or prayers, and it asks readers not to seek them from outsiders.
At a general, public level, it can be said that ceremonies and community gatherings are occasions for families to come together, honor individuals at milestones, remember those who have died and renew relationships. Examples that are widely discussed in public sources include coming-of-age observances for girls, which for some groups are known by names such as the Sunrise Ceremony, and public celebrations that welcome visitors on specific occasions. Visitors who are invited should learn the expected etiquette in advance, which commonly includes asking before photographing or recording, dressing modestly and following the guidance of hosts.
Everyday honor
Many people in Apache communities would say that honor is most visible in small things: greeting elders properly, using one’s language where possible, honoring commitments to family and not boasting. Some also point to care for the land and for places of significance as part of a person’s obligations.
Challenges and complexity
Describing honor does not mean describing a perfect community. Like any society, Apache nations have disagreements, hard questions about leadership and difficulties such as poverty or addiction. Honor, in this sense, is partly an ideal that people work toward and partly a standard used to judge conduct. Sources from within communities often make this point themselves.
It is also worth remembering that outsiders have used words like “honor” and “bravery” in ways that stereotype Native peoples, as in the image of the noble warrior. Ordinary conduct, steady work and care for others give a fuller and more accurate picture.
For further reading
Current information about veterans’ events, community programs and ceremonies open to the public is best found on the nations’ own official websites and calendars.