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Who Are the Western Apache? Groups, Homelands and History
An overview of the Western Apache peoples: the five groups described by scholars, their Arizona homelands, reservation-era history and the nations of today.
Origins and Identity
Western Apache Peoples
The White Mountain, San Carlos, Cibecue and Tonto Apache and their homelands in what is now Arizona.
Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School: A Layered Place
How Fort Apache grew from an 1870s army post into a boarding school campus, and what the Fort Apache historic site means to the White Mountain Apache today.
How Western Apache History Differs From Chiricahua History
Western Apache and Chiricahua peoples faced the same army, yet their reservation-era paths diverged: one stayed on Arizona homelands, the other was exiled.
The Cibecue Apache and the Cibecue Creek Country
Who the Cibecue group of the Western Apache were, the canyon and creek country they are associated with, and how Cibecue is a living community today.
The Rio Verde Removal of 1875 and the March to San Carlos
In 1875 Yavapai and Apache people were forced from the Rio Verde reservation to San Carlos on a winter march. What happened and how it is remembered today.
The San Carlos Apache: Origins of the Reservation and Its People
How San Carlos became a reservation where several Apache groups were concentrated in the 1870s, what that meant, and who the San Carlos Apache are today.
The Tonto Apache: The Northernmost Western Apache Groups
Who the Northern and Southern Tonto groups of the Western Apache were, where they lived below the Mogollon Rim, and the Tonto Apache Tribe near Payson today.
The White Mountain Apache: History of a Mountain Homeland
A general history of the White Mountain Apache, from their homeland in Arizona's high country through the Fort Apache era to the tribe governing it today.
The Yavapai and Apache at Camp Verde: Two Peoples, One Community
Why Yavapai and Apache people share the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley, how that came about after removal, and why they remain distinct peoples.
Western Apache Farming Bands and Seasonal Rounds
How Western Apache local groups combined planting, gathering and hunting through the year, moving between farm sites, wild-food areas and winter camps.
Western Apache Local Groups and Clan Ties Explained
How scholars describe Western Apache local groups, bands and matrilineal clans, how the two systems cross-cut each other, and where the sources differ.
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. Apache Identity Belonging, self-names and media images of Apache people. 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. 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.