Geography

• http://www.wikipedia.com map
  
  The Apaches migrated to the southwestern U.S. from Canada in the 1500s or 1600s and eventually settled mainly in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Food variety was limited in the high-desert mountains, and the weather could be extreme. Currently, the tribes mainly live in Arizona and New Mexico, along with small populations in surrounding states and Mexico.
  
  

History

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/lmmnfrsh/484155277/
  
  Historically the Apache Indians were hunters and gatherers and mostly nomadic. Living in the southwest, they mainly hunted buffalo, antelope, deer and small game animals and birds such as rabbits and pheasants. They also gathered fruit, such as grapes and banana yucca, seeds and nuts. The Apache people traded for corn, and this also was a main part of their diet. During part of the year, certain segments of the tribe stayed in one place and farmed vegetables.
  
  At marriage, the man moved to the camp of the woman's family to live and hunted to provide food for them. Women were the main teachers of all the children until the boys reached age eight or nine, when the boys would begin participating in preparing for hunts. Women continued to teach their daughters the myriad of practical arts necessary to keep daily life running smoothly in the tribe.
  
  

Considerations

• Women were in charge of identifying plants and knowing everything about the edible ones in order to gather, cook and store them. They also knew about the medicinal plants, which plants made for good dyes, and the ones that were suitable for making baskets. Women wove baskets and also crafted small amounts of clay pottery for cooking. They tanned buffalo and deer hides, then cut and sewed leather clothing, moccasins and bags. They made beaded necklaces and pendants, carved kitchen utensils and containers from gourds and maintained the dwellings. Women did the cooking for individual families and for large feasts. Working in groups, they gathered firewood and hauled it back to the camps.
  
  

Effects

• In addition to all this, women also helped men to build the nomadic shelters. They even sometimes accompanied the warriors to battle, helped them devise battle strategies and participated in peace negotiations.
  
  

Significance

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/14136623@N00/46778028/
  
  Indicating the tribe's recognition of the essential value of women, the most important Apache ritual is the Sunrise Dance, marking when a girl enters puberty. The 4-day ceremony teaches the tribal values of love, prayer, respect, appreciation, wisdom, culture, cooperation, language and endurance. It is a way for the community to celebrate the value of womanhood and to build confidence and self-esteem in the honored participant. This ritual continues today, although due to economic and time factors, it usually is scaled back to a 1- or 2-day ceremony, and often families of several girls celebrate this rite of passage together.