Chiricahua
The Chiricahua Apache are a
section of the Apache tribe known as eastern Apache. The Chiricahua Apache
tribe had about 2,500 members at its largest. That number has been reduced to
around 600 members of full Chiricahua descendance today. The tribe is divided
into about 3 bands which include between 10-30 families each. Today, the Chiricahua Apache
are located mostly in large communities. Location: The Chiricahua Apache were first
located in the Dragoon Mountains. The Chiricahua moved west of the Rio Grande
into Arizona, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico in the next years to expand their
territory. In 1861, the Chiricahua Apache and the U.S. military began a war
which came to an end with the tribe being held prisoners for 27 years in
Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The tribe was then released to settlements in
Oklahoma and the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico where the majority of the
tribe live today.Landmarks: The Chiricahua National Monument is a gathering of volcanic rock
formations for 19 square miles. These formations lie in the heart of the land
the tribe used as hiding ground form the military in the days of colonization.Language: English and Apache, which is part of the
Athabascan family.History: Two of the most well known tribal leaders are Cochise and Geronimo.
Cochise led the Chiricahua Apache in wars against the U.S. military from 1861
to 1865. His acts against the movements of the government into the southwest
rewarded him the great honor of Apache chief until his surrender to the
government in 1872. Geronimo also helped in raids against the people invading
the Chiricahua territory in the later 1800’s. He succeeded until his
surrender in 1886. The wars between the Chiricahua Apache and the U.S. military
forced the tribe to change its lifestyle to the ways of the newly colonized
world.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Chiricahua.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Chiricahua, your feedback is much appreciated.
The Chiricahua Apache Nde Nation: http://www.chiricahuaapache.org/
Sources:
-“Chiricahua.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1998. Ed.
-http://www.nps.gov/chir/
Written by: Tara Rose Zitzmann
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