Description:  Through reading and discussing an essay about the Apache, and participating in various traditional Apache activities including folktales, songs and games, students will gain understanding and appreciation for Apache history and culture.

 Subjects:
 Social Studies, Reading, Music.
 Materials:
 “Why We Have Night and Day,,”  pages  2 to 6; “Story of the Apache People,”  Master Pages VI - 7 to VI - 11; cassette player and cassette recording of Apache songs (if available:  see Encounters Box, red section); Moccasins (or cups) and sticks. 
 Preparation:
 Review pages VI - 2 through VI - 11; have materials for the Moccasin game available and the cassette  (if available) ready to play.  Make copies of Master Pages VI - 7 through VI - 10, “The Story of the Apache People,” and Master Page VI - 11.
 Time:
 Part I - one session; 
 Part II - one session.
 Vocabulary:
 ancestors, Nde, tanning, buckskin, pitch, teepee, wickiup, ceremony, headdress

 (Red)
 1. Apache Music (tape)

APACHE LIFE

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Apache people and culture are an integral part of the history of the Pimeria Alta (Upper Pima land).  Their role, however, was not one of friend to the missionaries and O’odham, but one of enemy.  Father Kino recorded his first contact with Apaches when he described them attacking the O’odham in the San Pedro Valley.  From this first contact, until the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, the history of the Apaches in the Santa Cruz Valley is full of warfare and violence.
The origins of the Apache Nation come from the northern Athebascan people who historians believe emmigrated to the Southwest sometime in the fourteenth or fifteenth century.  Little is known about them at this time and many questions regarding their lifestyle and culture remain, debated by scholars to this day. By  the time of contact with Kino, however, the Apache culture was one of nomadic hunters, gatherers and raiders.
Whereas the O’odham invited and welcomed Kino, the Apache did not. Did the Apaches have unrecorded contact with either the O’odham or the Spanish prior to Father Kino?  Was there already an existing conflict with the O’odham?  Was it aggravated by the arrival of the Spanish? Whatever the reason, the Apache were bitter enemies of the O’odham, missionaries and settlers.
The activities in Unit VI are an introduction to the Apache people and culture with an attempt to look at their attitudes, training and warfare. 

ACTIVITY

Part I

- Using the story, songs and games from “Why We Have Night and Day”, (below) introduce students to Apache culture.  As much as possible, learn and tell the story as a storyteller would, interweaving the songs, game, and story as described.  If available, play the associated Apache songs as part of the story.  1
Part II
- Explore the Apache people and culture in depth by reading aloud with your students the essay “The Story of the Apache People” (Master Pages VI - 6 to VI - 9).  Use the worksheet “The People Called Apache” on Master Page VI - 10 to stimulate discussion and evaluate students’ comprehension. 

WHY WE HAVE NIGHT AND DAY *

A
 t the very beginning of the world, the sun shone all the time and there was never any darkness.  Yusen, the Creator, kept Night prisoner in a sack which he gave to Badger to safeguard.
	One day, while Badger was traveling through the land, Coyote, the trickster, saw him carrying the large sack in which Night was kept.
	Coyote, always thinking about food, thought that Badger was carrying something really good to eat so he started walking along with Badger.  After a while Coyote said, “ Old Man Badger, you look pretty tired.  Why don’t you let me carry that heavy sack for awhile?”
	Badger knew Coyote and suspected he was up to no good (as usual) and replied, “I was given this sack to protect and I can’t let anybody open it or look in it.  I know you, Coyote.  You’re just looking for a free meal, but there’s nothing to eat in the sack.”
	Right then, Coyote figured there must be something really good to eat if Badger was trying so hard to hide it from him, but he reassured him, “No Old Man, I was just offering to help you carry that heavy  load since you looked so tired from traveling.  I know there isn’t any food in the sack.  Just think about it.  You’re really looking very tired and need the rest.”
	Coyote , of course, sounded very sincere.  So, as they traveled along for a while, they sang a traveling song to make the miles go faster:
	“I live, you live, we all live a good life.”

A
while later, when the sun was at its hottest, Badger finally said, “Well, Coyote, I guess you’re right about how tired I am.”  He gave  his sack to Coyote.  “You guard this carefully and don’t let anybody open the sack.  I’m going to lie down and rest awhile over there in the shade.”
	With that, Badger wandered over to some bushes, lay down in the shade and was soon fast asleep.
	As soon as he heard Badger snoring soundly, Coyote sat down and said, “Now I can see about that delicious food Badger tried to hoard for himself and have something great to eat.”  Coyote is always hungry.
	Coyote opened the sack and Night escaped and there was darkness everywhere.  Coyote forgot all about being hungry and scurried off to hide and think up some story to tell Badger about that sack.
	Some of the creatures were pleased by the darkness which completely covered the Earth.  These were the four-legged who were predators who could better sneak up on their prey and capture them.  Those with evil power like Snake, Owl, and other monsters reveled in the advantages Night gave them over those with good power.
	The birds and insects feared Night and the new dangers caused by the darkness.  They were afraid they’d be killed by the creatures of darkness.  Finally, they met together to plan how to restore Light.
	All the animals were called in for a council and the ones preferring Light told the Night creatures, “You want Night and we want Day.  Let’s have a moccasin game and see who wins -- if we win, it will be Day forever, but if you win, you can have Dark.”
	All the animals and birds agreed to this and they held the first moccasin game--the same type of game still played today.  This first game was held in the winter, at night, and that is when it should still be played.
	First, each side made score-keeping sticks out of yucca leaves and placed these in a pile between the sides.  Then, the players buried four moccasins in the sand and hid a small piece of bone in one of the moccasins.  If the other side could guess which moccasin contained the bone, it would get one point; if they guessed incorrectly, the hiding side would get the point.  At first, the side winning the point would take a stick from the middle pile; then, after all sticks were taken, points won would be taken from each side’s pile of scoring sticks.  When all the sticks are taken from one side, the game is over.
	Well, the game started and the score kept pretty even for a long while.  The teams sang songs and chanted to bring luck and to distract the other side while the piece of bone was being moved from moccasin to moccasin.

P
 retty soon, the game was so close that both sides began to cheat.  Gopher was playing for the animals and would burrow down under the moccasins and see where the bone was hidden.  when he saw where it was, he tunneled back up and told the animals where to “guess.”  when the animals had the bone, he would move it quickly to another moccasin every time the birds guessed correctly so they would lose the point.
	The birds had a few tricks of their own.  To keep the animals from knowing how many sticks they had left, the birds hid spare sticks up Turkey’s leg so the animals would think they were winning and would be less cautious.   Before the game, Turkey didn’t have any tendons on his legs, but the sticks stretched his legs so much that they now have the longest legs.  When it looked as if the animals would win, the birds would fool them by pulling more sticks from Turkey’s leg.

	Roadrunner was the best player of all, but he’d been sleeping for most of the time.  The birds and insects woke him up so he could play for them while they sang more songs with the power to ruin the animals luck.  While they sang these powerful songs, Gopher went blind and couldn’t help the animals any longer.  This is why gophers have such tiny eyes today.

	Finally, the game got so close that Coyote (who sneaked back in to see what the excitement was-- and to look for something good to eat, of course) got up and left the animals and stood by the fire thinking, “I’ll just help whoever’s winning so I’ll be ahead no matter what.”  Coyote is like that.
	The animals finally began to lose badly and the Owl-Man Monster got up and started to run away:  “I can’t run very fast and the birds will kill me when they win.”  As the Birds won more and more points, the Sun began to rise and start Day.  Pretty soon, some birds noticed Owl-Man Monster running and started to chase him.  He got caught in the cholla cactus thorns and the birds got him there, then started after the other animals and monsters.
	Before the birds could kill all the evil animals and monsters, some of them got away.  That is why we still have some like Snake and Owl today. 
	Because the game never was completely over and some of the animals escaped, Night still exists for a time each day and is full of danger for the day birds and good animals.

Playing the Moccasin Game

	There are many ways to play the Moccasin Game today.  A good way to imitate the first game is to place moccasins (or small cups, etc.) under a sheet or blanket on the floor to simulate placing the moccasins in the sand.  (For younger students, only two moccasins or cups could be used to make play more enjoyable.)  A small marble or other object is used for the piece of bone.  This object is hidden by the team’s player and the moccasins shuffled around to confuse the other side.  The second team then guesses which moccasin hides the object and wins a point (small sticks can be used as counters) if correct and then hides the object.  If the guess is incorrect, the first team continues to hide the object until losing a point.
	All the time, the teams should sing songs to confuse their game opponents and increase their enjoyment of recreating this game.  Usually, the “words” to a moccasin game song are just nonsense to add to the confusion. They also might include fragments of other songs, or the phrases might be out of order. 

_________________________________
*  The story, game, and songs from “Why We Have Night and Day,” are taken directly from When The Earth Was Like New , pages 76 - 81, with permission from the authors, Chesley Goseyun Wilson, Ruth Longcor Wilson and Bryon Burton, World Music Press, Danbury, CT, 1994.

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES 

 The Flute Player:  An Apache Folktale, Michael Lacapa, Northland Publishing, Flagstaff, AZ, 1990; When The Earth Was New, Chesley Goseyun Wilson, World Music Press, PO Box 2565, Danbury, CT  06813, 1994; The Apaches:  Eagles of the Southwest, Donald E. Worcester, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1979; The Apache Indians, Nicole Claro, Chelsea House Publishers, NY, 1992; Indeh:  An Apache Odyssey, Eve Ball, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1980; The People Called Apache, Thomas E. Mails, BDD Books, NY, 1974; Western Apache Material Cultural, Alan Ferg, Univ. of Arizona Press, 1987; Women of the Apache Nation, H. Henrietta Stockel, Univ. of Nevada Press, Reno, 1991; Video:  Geronimo's last Surrender.

Enhancements

•	Learn more about Apache culture.  There are a wealth of books (see Resources and References) and documentary films.  Be cautious of Hollywood accounts!
•	Read The Flute Player:  An Apache Folktale.

THE STORY OF THE APACHE PEOPLE

Historians believe that a little before the year 1600, or about 400 years ago, the Athabaskans people came to Arizona.  Long before this, their ancestors had lived far north in Canada.  They traveled slowly toward the south through the plains just east of the Rocky Mountains.  At last they arrived in the Southwest. They separated into seven groups and each group lived in a different place.  Many Apaches who still live in this state are part of the "Western Apache" group, descendants of the Apaches who lived in the Pimeria Alta during Kino's time.  They are the people we discuss here.

The Apaches call themselves "Nde", which means "People.”  When they first arrived in Arizona and New Mexico, they found many people who spoke different languages living there already.  These people were farmers and hunters.  Some of them lived in stone houses that were grouped together like apartment buildings.  One group in New Mexico, called the Pueblo Indians by the Spaniards, lived in stone houses grouped closely together like in apartment buildings. Others called the Pima  (Akimel O’odham) and Papago  (Tohono O’odham) lived in villages in the desert and along the rivers of Southern Arizona near places now called Phoenix and Tucson.
At first, Apache people moved a lot.  In the spring and summer, they camped in the mountains.  During that time they hunted deer, rabbits, and other wild animals.  They also started gardens of corn, beans, squash and tobacco.  They gathered many wild plants too.  Cactus fruit, acorns, agave, walnuts, juniper berries, and many other good things could be found near their mountain camps.  The women had to be able to identify the plants, know where each plant grew, when it would be ripe, what tools to take to collect it, how to cook it when they go home, and how to store the leftovers so they wouldn't spoil. 
As it got colder and snow began to fall, the people moved their camps to lower country where it would be warmer for winter.  The men continued to hunt and the women spent time tanning hides and making them into bags, clothing, and containers.
	In the spring, the people went back to their mountain camps and planted their gardens again.  They also continued to hunt and to collect wild plants.  Toward the end of the summer, if there was extra food, it was dried so that it could be saved for a long time.  Apache women made large baskets to store this food.  Thin sticks of willow, cottonwood, or sumac were stitched together with split sticks of the same material.  The split pieces became flexible when soaked in water for a while.  The black in the designs was made from the devil's claw plant and the red color was made with the bark of the yucca root.

	There were other kinds of baskets, too.  For carrying things, they made twined pack baskets that had buckskin fringes and painted designs.  For carrying water, the women made a bottle-shaped basket and then covered the outside of it with pitch (sap) from a tree so that the water wouldn't leak out.  You can probably imagine that baskets would be more useful than pottery for people who moved around a lot.  They are not very heavy and they do not break easily.  Today, since Apaches don't move very often and because they have stores, they can buy metal or plastic containers.  They also have cars and pick-up trucks for carrying things.
In addition to the many baskets for carrying things, the Apache had a bit of pottery for cooking.  They made shapes that were just right for cooking food quickly over a campfire.  These pots were dark in color, had pointed bottoms and slanting sides.  They could be placed right in the fire and could heat the sides as fast as it heated the bottom.  This way it didn't take long for the people to get dinner cooked when they were on a trip.
Babies were put in cradles so that they would be safe and easy to carry.  A long time ago, these cradles were made of wood and deerskin.  Some are still made today, but they are made with yellow canvas instead of deerskin.  A baby is usually happy in his cradle.  He feels warm and comfortable.  He has some toys or decorations to look at and he can be with his mother listening to her sing or talk to him. When his mother hangs the cradle in a tree he can also watch the people all around him.
Long ago, when the Apache people moved a lot, they had different kinds of houses.  People who lived on the edge of the plains had teepees made of skins and the people who lived in the mountains made grass houses called "gowaa" or "wickiups".  Houses in those days were used mostly for sleeping and storing things.  Most of the cooking and other work was done outside like we do when we camp.
Today, Apaches live in wood or stone houses, however, some people also build wickiups, too.  They live in small communities where they have police stations, post offices, churches, stores and gas stations.  Usually the people live with their families--mother, father, children and sometimes an aunt, and uncle or their grandparents. In the old days bigger families lived together in one place.  You can imagine there would be many people if you lived with your parents, aunts and uncles, your sisters and their husbands and children, your grandparents, and perhaps some cousins.  A good thing about having this many relatives nearby would be that you would always have plenty of help to do the work.  You would always have someone to play with as well.
These days, Apache boys and girls go to school and learn the kinds of things that other children learn.  In the summers, boys may help their fathers with rounding up cattle or farming and harvesting crops.  Many boys still learn how to ride horses.

When a girl is growing up, it is important for her to learn to work hard and to learn about the things she will do when she is a wife and mother.  Sometimes the Apache people have a ceremony to let everyone know that the girl is becoming an adult and is ready to do the jobs that other women in the community do.  This ceremony is very beautiful and old.  All of the people are very happy when they have it because it brings good luck to everyone who comes.  It also helps the girl to be healthy and live a long time. This ceremony is usually held in the summer so that the girls will be home from school.  Not every Apache girl has this kind of ceremony today because it is very expensive and not everyone can afford it.   The costume is very beautiful with lots of fringes and beadwork.  Food is given to everyone who comes and to all the people who help.
At night during this ceremony there is a mountain spirit dance in which dancers wear masks and large headdresses.  They dance to drive away any evil powers and bring good luck to all the people.  The "Gans," or mountain spirits, sometimes dance at other times when they are needed to cure sickness or keep away disease.
Sometimes Apache people remember the old ways with stories.  They tell about how certain things in the world came to be and sometimes give lessons on how to behave.  You can read some of these stories and maybe you can think of some that you already know.  Here is a story about how coyote helped get fire for the people:
A long time ago there were people living here on earth.  Coyotes, birds and other animals were all people.  Many of these people didn't have any fire.  The martens (long, thin animals that look like mink or weasels) lived in the tops of tall pine trees--they were the only ones who had fire.  The people living below them got together to figure out how to get fire.  They decided to play a game and invited everyone to come.  They called the martens to come down and bring some fire because they were going to play “hide the ball”.  They came down and brought fire with them, but they stood in a circle around the fire so no one could run off with it.  None of the people who didn't have fire were in the middle of the circle.

Coyote said he would get the fire and run with it.  Everyone was playing and the people who had fire were winning.  They began to dance.  Coyote made a torch by tying bark under his tail.  He went up to those who were dancing and said he was going to join them.  They were dancing and having a good time.  It was nearly daylight.  Coyote danced in near the fire, bending and turning, until he switched his tail into the fire, assuring them that it wouldn't burn.
As daylight broke, coyote stuck his tail in the fire again and it caught fire.  "Your tail is burning," they called to him.  He jumped over the four lines of dancers who were in circles around the fire and ran off.  The people who were stingy with fire ran after him.  Coyote became winded and could hardly run.  The People caught him, but he passed the fire on to Night Hawk, who kept on flying and jumping with it.  Soon he was nearly exhausted and he gave it to Roadrunner.  Roadrunner kept on for a long time, but the people chased him and almost caught him.  He gave the fire to Buzzard.  Buzzard was almost worn out when the people caught up with him and they pulled all of the hair out of his head.  But Buzzard had already passed the fire on to Hummingbird.  So when the people looked up, they saw the smoke of a fire rising in the distance from the top of a mountain.  It was Hummingbird who had set the fire.  There was a fire too on the top of another mountain which stood far away on the opposite side.  A little way from that there was a fire on another mountain.  Everywhere fires were burning.  It was Hummingbird who had accomplished this.  Those who had owned fire turned back saying it was now impossible to recover their fire.  Everyone who had been without fire now had it.  The people all thanked Coyote for his trick to get fire for them.
Now that you have read a story and some other things about Apache people, perhaps you will understand them a little better.  Remember that the things you see in the movies about Apaches are not always true.  Apache people see these movies too.  What do you suppose the Apache people think about Hollywood films?
There are many Apaches living in Arizona today.  A lot of their land has forests, lakes and meadows.  Many people go there for vacation.  Perhaps sometime you might get a chance to visit Apache lands and towns and talk with the people.

Adapted with permission from the Arizona State Museum (Apache curriculum); 
Story credit:  Myths and Tales from the San Carlos Apache, Pliny Earle Goddard,
American Musium of Natural History, NY.

 THE PEOPLE CALLED APACHE

1.  What part of North America did the Apaches come from before arriving in Arizona?

2.  When did they come to Arizona?

3.  What route did they take?

4.  What happened to them when they got to Arizona?

5.  What did the Apaches call themselves?  What does it mean?

6.  Who was living in Arizona when the Apaches arrived?  How were these people living?

7.  What is a pueblo?

8.  How did the Apaches survive during the spring and the summer?  How about the fall and winter?

9.  The women made large colorful baskets to store their food.  What materials were used to make the baskets?  How did they make the baskets red?  Black?

10. What are the advantages of using baskets as compared to pottery?

11. Describe an Apache cooking pot.

12. How did the Apaches care for their babies?

13. Compare the way Apaches lived long ago versus the way we live today:  (Housing?  Cooking?  Communities?  Schooling?  Boys?  Girls?  Entertainment?  Ceremonies?)