FREE ESSAY ON APACHE INDIANS

APACHE INDIANS

The Apache Indians of North America prospered for years throughout Kansas, New Mexico, and
Arizona. They were a religious society who believed in a "giver of life". As any complex
society today, The Apache had many inter-tribal differences, although the tribe as a
whole was able to see through these conflicts. Women and the extended family played an
important role in the society and also in the lives of young children. Groups of
different extended families, called bands, often lived together and functioned
democratically. The Apache also evolved as the coming of the white man changed their
lives. These Indians became adept at using horses and guns, both introduced to them by
the coming settlers. As with most Indian tribes in North America the lives of the Apache
were destroyed as their life-blood, the buffalo were slaughtered by the whites. The
Apache were forced into surrender after years of struggle. One leader, Geronimo, was
especially hard for the whites to capture. After years of evading white soldiers Geronimo
was taken to Florida and treated as a prisoner of war. Government sponsored assimilation
saw English forced upon the Apache robbing them of their culture. In 1934 The Indian
Recognition Act helped establish the Indian culture as a recognized way of life. This act
gave the Apache land, which the Apache in turn used for ranching. The destruction of the
Apache culture was not recoverable and saw the Apache lose much of their language. 
The documentary on the Apache was very well done. The Indians of North America series,
produced by Chelsea House, seems to be a very well thought-out series and the film on the
Apache was no exception. The film moved quickly throughout the life and times of the
Apache. This film, as no surprise, is a great educational tool. I felt that the life of
Geronimo, the best-known Apache throughout history, could have been examined a little
more carefully.