Daily Life in Olden Times Southwest Apache Indians Why do Apache kids hunt for blue stones? What is a Wickiup?  Who were the Devil Dancers? Learn how to play Apache toe and toss games. Read an Apache myth about Child of Water and Little Blue Rock. Welcome to the Southwest Apache Indians in Olden Times.   Who were the Apache?   Apache entered the southwestern region of what would become the United States around 1100 BCE. They were warriors. The Apache soon gained the reputation of being the fiercest warriors of all the people. Their lands soon spread from Central Texas to Central Arizona, and from southern Colorado to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. How did they travel? The Apache would much prefer to ride than walk. They were probably the best riders of all the people. The Apache were hunters and warriors. The use of a horse for transportation fit their lifestyle and their geography. A horse allowed them to cover great distances quickly. What did they eat? The Apache did not grow food. They were hunters and gatherers. They used bows and arrows to kill deer and rabbits and other game. The women gathered berries, nuts, corn, and other fruits and vegetables. They moved from place to place, in search of food. One thing they did not eat was fish, although fish were plentiful. What did they wear? Clothing: The men wore breechclothes in the summer, and a warmer outfit of deerskin in the winter of leggings and shirts. Both men and women wore highly designed sandals. Apache women were dressers - they really worked on their appearance. The women wore long skirts and blouses made of leather. Their skirts and blouses matched. They usually had a solid line around the bottom of the skirt, with a matching design on the blouse. Sleeves came just above the elbow to leave them free to work. In the summer, they made clothes of fabrics to be cool, but they were still matching outfits, and carefully designed. Jewelry: The women wore lots of jewelry - belts, earrings, necklaces made of metal with woven leather. Hairstyles: The women wore their hair long, and put oil in it to make it extra shiny. How did they live? No Central Government: In the old days, the Apache did not have a central government. They did not have a tribal government. They lived and traveled together in small bands. Today, things are different. Each Apache reservation has its own tribal government. Wickiups (Apache homes): Wickiups were Apache homes. The Apache bent young trees, creating a U shape. They attached the bent trees together to make an upside-down U-shaped home. The frame of bent young trees was covered with animal skin. There was one big room in a Wickiup, but each had an entrance added to the front. The entrance area was designed with a very low roof, so you had to bend over to enter a Wickiup. Once inside, you could stand up straight. There was not a lot of room inside a Wickiup for a family, which is one of the reasons Apache families had little to no furniture in olden times. The lack of furniture also allowed them to move quickly, leaving little to no evidence behind of their presence in an area. Burden Baskets: Apache baskets were colorful and well designed. They were woven from various plants. Some were lined with pitch, which is a natural waterproofing material made from pine trees.The waterproof baskets were used to carry water and other liquids. Baskets were used as storage containers for just about everything. Some were called burden baskets. Apache Boys/Men: The Apache men from age ten were trained for combat. Legend says - an Apache boy needed to run to the top of a mountain before the sun rose each day to get fit enough to pass into manhood. Apache Girls/Women: The women raised the kids, prepared and cooked the food, made clothing, and gathered fruits, vegetables, and firewood, along with the grasses they needed to make baskets. Apache Games Apache boys and girls played games that kept them fit. Archery was an important competition sport, as the bow and arrow was their main weapon. Apache kids also played toe and toss games to develop coordination, balance, and strength. Toe Toss Stick: To play this game, you needed a stick. To set up play, you first made a mark on the ground. Then you stood behind the mark and balanced a stick on your toe. The object was the toss the stick as high as you could and have it land on the mark. You got points for height and for accuracy. Foot Toss Ball: To play this game, you needed a stone. To set up play, you balanced the stone on your toes. This game had a choice. You could either play to see how far you could toss  or how high you could toss the stone with your toes. Kids used light stones, adults used heavy stones, and they completed with each other. Apache Religion In ancient times, the Apache believed that supernatural beings - spirits - lived with them. They could not see them, but they were there. They believed spirits also lived in mountains and in streams and under rocks. Spirits were everywhere. They could even be found inside a rock. The Apache were very clean. They took frequent baths. They believed they were cleaning their bodies of both bad luck and evil spirits. Mountain Spirit Dances: The Apache believed their ancestors were rocks and trees and the wind and other things in nature. Because of this, when they prayed to spirits, they were praying to their ancestors. But to the ancient Apache, that ancestor might be a rock or a tree or a mountain. Bow and One String: Although most Indians did not use stringed instruments in olden times, the Apache did invent an odd instrument that had only one string on a bow. The string was pulled to make a noise. It made a very eerie sound. They added this instrument to drums and rattles, and played the Bow with One String at ceremonial dances. Apache Devil Dancers Devil Dancers: Devil Dancers were not deities or gods. They were more like men with special abilities. One of those abilities was to be invisible. Devil Dancers would show up after a dance had started. They were responsible for a lot of racket. To honor the Devil Dancers, some Apache men dressed up like Devil Dancers. Their costumes had bells sewn on the elbows and sleeves and leggings. They would hide behind bushes or trees. When the dance started, they would come running out from wherever they had been hiding. They would yell and scream and shake their elbows and stomp to the beat of the drums. The bells on their costumes added to the noise. One was always dressed like a clown, much to the delight of the children. The clown would do all kinds of clownish things like fall over or chase a youngster. Everyone would laugh. Because dances went on for days, new Devil Dancers might take the place of the old ones, to give them a rest. It was a lot fun. People loved all the Devil Dancers - the invisible ones, and the costumed Apache men. Apache Myths and Legends The Apache loved stories, myths and legends, especially stories about Apache warriors and how they won battles using strength, speed, cleverness, and accuracy. The Apache did not count on luck to help them. They stayed trained and fit. But they were realists. A little luck was always welcome. Here is a story we created that is loosely based on an ancient Apache myth. What do you think this story might teach an ancient Apache child about their own customs?  Child of Water and Little Blue Rock (Story)   Apache Myths and Legends (many)   Apache (mnsu ed) Geronimo His name meant One Who Yawns. But he was hardly a yawner. Geronimo fought to preserve the Apache way of life. Old Geronimo Chief is dead (news article from 1909)   To return to the main menu click on the basket   All Rights Reserved Counter start date January 2006     Little Blue Rock Apache Myth retold by Lin Donn Have a great year!