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The Apache and the Environment: A Symbiotic Relationship
How Apache peoples lived in and understood their Southwest and Plains homelands: place names, seasonal subsistence, and why simple stereotypes fall short.
Daily Life and Arts
Land and Livelihood
Hunting, gathering, farming, tools and relationships with homelands.
Apache Agriculture: The Traditional Methods of Food Production
Which Apache groups farmed, especially the Western Apache and Jicarilla, what crops they grew, and how planting fit alongside gathering and hunting.
Apache Agriculture: Traditional Farming Methods
How Western Apache families used small ditch-irrigated plots along streams, and how irrigated agriculture continues in tribal enterprises and gardens today.
Apache Artifacts and Relics: A Look at the Tribe's Historical Objects
Where Apache objects are held in museums, how they got there, and how Apache nations engage with collections, from consultation to their own cultural centers.
Apache Artifacts: The Preservation and Significance of Native American Relics
How the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act works and how it applies to Apache nations seeking the return of ancestors and sacred objects.
Apache Homes and Architecture: A Glimpse into the Past
Wickiups, tipis and other Apache dwellings by group, how they were built and used, and how housing on Apache lands looks today.
Apache Hunting and Gathering: The Ancient Art of Survival
Wild foods in Apache life, including agave or mescal, acorns and piñon nuts, and how families followed the seasons to harvest them.
Apache Hunting: The Ancient Art of Survival
How Apache groups hunted deer, elk, bison and small game, the customs that surrounded hunting, and how hunting rights are handled on tribal lands today.
Apache Shelter: The Traditional Homes of the Apache Tribes
How materials, climate and ways of life shaped traditional Apache homes in mountain, desert and plains settings, from brush wickiups to hide tipis.
Apache Tools: The Ancient Artifacts of a Resourceful People
Everyday Apache tools such as bows, knives, grinding stones and digging sticks, how they were made from local materials, and the shift to metal.
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More in daily life and arts
Values Law and Elders Customary law, conduct and the role of elders. Diplomacy and Peacemaking Disputes, alliances and trade between and within groups. Music Dance and Art Song, dance and visual art across Apache communities. Apache Art and Expression Visual art, music and creative work by Apache artists past and present. Craftsmanship Basketry, beadwork, pottery, weaving and the makers who keep these skills alive. Dress and Adornment Clothing, jewelry and regalia across Apache groups. Childhood and Upbringing How Apache children were raised, taught and played. Community and Social Structure Bands, local groups and community values. Family and Kinship Clans, extended families and elders. Foodways Traditional foods, gathering and cooking. Heritage and Traditions Everyday traditions, land-based practice and ways of life across Apache groups. Apache Homelands and Landscapes The mountains, deserts and rivers of Apache country, and how to visit them respectfully. Plants and Traditional Knowledge The plants of Apache country and the public, general knowledge of how they were used.