A fiddle made from a desert plant
The best-known Apache stringed instrument is the Apache fiddle, sometimes called the Apache violin. It is most closely associated with the Western Apache of Arizona, including communities such as the White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache. It looks very different from an orchestral violin. The body is typically made from the hollowed stalk of an agave, the desert plant also called the century plant, and it usually carries only one or two strings.
Because the fiddle is so distinctive, it is often shown as a symbol of Apache music in general. That is a simplification. Many Apache nations, including the Mescalero, Jicarilla and Plains Apache, are better known for drum-and-voice singing, and the fiddle is a specific Western Apache tradition.
How the instrument is made
Descriptions of fiddle making vary by maker, but the general outline is consistent.
- The body. A dried agave flower stalk is cut and hollowed to form a long resonating tube. Small sound holes are cut, and the surface may be decorated with painted or incised designs.
- The strings. Traditionally these were made from horsehair or similar materials, and many makers now use metal strings. A tuning peg adjusts tension.
- The bridge and bow. A small bridge lifts the string, and the bow is strung with horsehair and drawn across the string.
- The finish. Makers may paint the body with simple designs. Patterns differ between makers and are not a fixed code.
The hollow stalk gives a soft, reedy tone that is quieter than a violin. It is usually played held against the player or rested in a way that suits the maker, and the player often sings or plays while others listen from close by.
Where the fiddle came from
How and when the Apache fiddle developed is not firmly documented. Many writers think it grew out of contact with European stringed instruments, which would place its development after the arrival of Spanish and later American settlers. Others point out that single-stringed bowed instruments existed in several parts of the world and that the Apache form is distinctive in its materials. Apache accounts and scholarly accounts do not always agree, and anyone repeating a single origin story as settled should be treated with caution.
What is clearer is that the instrument became part of community music, associated more with social and personal music than with sacred ceremony. Sacred songs belong to a different tradition, and they are not performed on the fiddle.
Other Apache instruments
The fiddle sits beside several older instruments.
- Water drums and hand drums. The Apache water drum, a pot partly filled with water and covered with a wet hide, is common in ceremonial settings among several nations. Hand drums are used in other contexts, including social singing and the Apache powwow circuit.
- Rattles. Rattles made of rawhide, gourds or other materials accompany singing and dance. Designs differ among groups.
- Flutes and other instruments. Some Apache musicians play flutes and other instruments, often learned from other Native traditions or as part of contemporary performance. Documentation of older Apache flute use is limited.
Voice, though, is the central instrument in most Apache music. Instruments support the singing and not the reverse. Details of how songs are built are covered in a separate article on drums and song.
Makers and players today
Fiddle making and playing continue in Western Apache communities. Makers often learn from relatives or community teachers, in the same way that teaching Apache crafts such as basketry is handled, and may sell instruments at tribal fairs, craft markets and cultural events. Players perform at community gatherings, at schools and at festivals, and some have recorded albums. Museums, cultural centers and school programs in Arizona sometimes include fiddle demonstrations.
Because there are few reliable lists of current players, this page does not name individuals. A better approach is to look at the official sites and cultural departments of the Apache nations, where events and workshops are listed. Anyone buying an instrument should buy directly from the maker or through a tribal enterprise and ask about the materials.
Respect and context
A fiddle in a museum case is a finished object, but a fiddle in a community is part of a living practice. Learning to play usually comes through family, teachers and long listening. Visitors who hear fiddle music at a fair or festival should ask before recording or photographing. Treating the instrument as a curiosity, or as a “primitive” version of something else, misses its skill and its place in modern Apache life.
Traditional Apache song, especially in a ceremonial setting, follows its own rules about who may sing and who may record. The fiddle, by contrast, is generally part of public cultural life. Even so, the right approach is the same: ask, listen and give credit to the maker or player by name when you can.