What this list covers
This is a reference list of the Apache tribes that are generally recognized by the United States federal government, with a note on where each is based. It is not an official source. Names, boundaries and government details can change, so for current information, please use each nation’s own website.
A tribe today is not the same thing as a historical band. In the 1800s, several bands or local groups were placed together on a single reservation, and several modern nations include people descended from more than one group. The structure of bands and clans is a separate subject from the question of Western Apache clans, and this page focuses on the modern recognized nations.
Federally recognized Apache tribes
| Nation | Location | Groups represented |
|---|---|---|
| San Carlos Apache Tribe | Southeastern Arizona (San Carlos Reservation) | Several Western Apache groups, with other Apache and some Yavapai descendants in the history of the reservation |
| White Mountain Apache Tribe | East-central Arizona (Fort Apache Reservation) | White Mountain Apache and related Western Apache groups |
| Tonto Apache Tribe | Near Payson, Arizona | Tonto Apache, the northern Western Apache groups |
| Yavapai-Apache Nation | Camp Verde area, Arizona | Yavapai and Apache people in a joint community |
| Mescalero Apache Tribe | Southern New Mexico (Mescalero Reservation) | Mescalero, with Chiricahua and Lipan descendants also part of the community |
| Jicarilla Apache Nation | Northern New Mexico | Jicarilla Apache |
| Fort Sill Apache Tribe | Oklahoma and New Mexico | Descendants of the Chiricahua and Warm Springs prisoners of war |
| Apache Tribe of Oklahoma | Southwestern Oklahoma | Plains Apache, long called Kiowa Apache |
Some of these nations use other formal names or spellings in their own constitutions and documents. The table gives the names most often seen in general reference works.
Notes on each nation
San Carlos Apache Tribe. The San Carlos area became a reservation in the 1870s and drew in people from several Western Apache groups, as well as others. Its people are known today as the San Carlos Apache.
White Mountain Apache Tribe. Based around Fort Apache in the mountains of east-central Arizona, the White Mountain people have a homeland tied to the White Mountains and the Mogollon Rim area, which are the heart of what is called the White Mountain Apache homeland.
Tonto Apache Tribe. The Tonto Apache are the northernmost Western Apache groups, and their small reservation lies in the Payson area. They are one of the groups historically called the Tonto Apache.
Yavapai-Apache Nation. This is a single nation made up of both Yavapai and Apache people at Camp Verde. It shows how forced removals in the 1870s and returns afterward produced a shared community of two different peoples.
Mescalero Apache Tribe. The Mescalero Reservation in southern New Mexico centers on the Sacramento Mountains region. In the 20th century, it also became home to many Chiricahua people and some Lipan families. The Mescalero Apache people have a long history in the mountains of the region.
Jicarilla Apache Nation. The Jicarilla homeland is in northern New Mexico, and the nation’s reservation took shape over a long period in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Jicarilla Apache people have long been associated with both plains and mountain ways.
Fort Sill Apache Tribe. After the Chiricahua and Warm Springs Apache were held as prisoners of war for 27 years, ending in 1913, some chose to remain in Oklahoma while others went to Mescalero. The Fort Sill Apache Tribe descends from those who stayed in Oklahoma. The story of the Chiricahua prisoners of war is told in detail in a separate series.
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. The Plains Apache, historically known to outsiders as the Kiowa Apache, live in the area around Anadarko and nearby communities. They have close historical ties with the Kiowa, but they are a separate people with a language of their own.
Groups without federal recognition
Some Apache communities and descendant groups are not federally recognized. The best-known case is the Lipan Apache, whose historic homelands were in Texas and northern Mexico. Texas has acknowledged a Lipan Apache organization at the state level, and many Lipan descendants live in Texas and elsewhere, including in the Mescalero community. Lipan Apache descendants live in several communities.
Federal recognition is a legal and political status, and not a measure of who is Apache or of cultural continuity. The pages on unrecognized Apache groups and federally recognized Apache tribes discuss the subject in more depth.
Related peoples that are not on this list
The Navajo Nation speaks a closely related language but is a separate nation and is not counted among the Apache tribes. Likewise, other native nations that live near Apache communities, such as the Yavapai at some reservations in Arizona, have their own governments.
Reading historical names alongside modern ones
Older books refer to groups, such as the “Chiricahua,” “Warm Springs,” “Cibecue,” “Mimbreno” and “Kiowa Apache,” which may not match a modern tribe’s name directly. Some are the names of bands that are now part of a larger nation. Others are the names outsiders used, and some peoples prefer other names or their own words for themselves. When in doubt, follow the usage on a nation’s own official site.