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The Apache Indians originated as a southern branch of the Athabascan group of Indians, pushed further and further south by enemy tribes. Historians believe that the Apache arrived in the American southwest some time after 1000 C.E. but well before the Spanish began to settle the area.
Chiricahua Apache Indians stood up to U.S. military aggression in the American southwest longer than any other Apache band. In the 1850s many white settlers and miners moved into Chiricahua land, bringing with them deadly disease and famine for the Chiricahua Apache.
Beginning in 1861, the Chiricahua Apache Indians waged a war against the U.S. military, led by the famous chiefs Cochise and Geronimo. The Chiricahua Apache surrendered in 1886, and all who could be rounded up were taken as prisoners of war to Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma. In 1913, the remaining Chiricahua Apache Indians were released to either the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico or lands in Oklahoma. -
Historically known as the fiercest of the Apache bands, the Chiricahua Apache Indians lived as nomads in their territory in the American southwest. They lived in dome-shaped wickiups that could be transported as the tribe moved on in search of food. These wickiups were made of saplings and covered with brush and mats.
The Chiricahua Apache relied heavily on the deer as a source of food, clothing and shelter. They also gathered wild plants and hunted small animals but practiced no farming. - The Chiricahua Apache Indians had no central leader or political organization. They identified themselves according to their band unit, which usually consisted of somewhere between 10 and 30 families. There has been much discussion in the historical community about how many bands made up the Chiricahua Apache, but the general consensus is that there were three Chiricahua bands. These bands were the Chihene in the east, Chukanen in the central region of Chiricahua territory, and the Ndeindaai in the south. Band associations were more important to the Chiricahua Apache Indians than their identity as Chiricahua.
- At the height of their might in the early 1800s, the Chiricahua Apache Indians had about 2,500 tribal members. These numbers were greatly reduced due to white settlement in their territory, war against the U.S. military and the period of Chiricahua imprisonment. Today the Chiricahua Apache Indians have regained some of their former strength and number about 600.
- One of the last tribes to hold out against U.S. military dominance of their tribal homelands, the Chiricahua Apache Indians are significant in their passionate defense of their lands for over 20 years against the strength of the U.S. military. The lengthy defiance of U.S. authority by the Chiricahua Apache Indians did not go unnoticed by the government, landing most of them in prison for over 25 years.
