Eastern Apache

The Eastern Apache are a group of Indigenous North Americans who historically inhabited a vast territory in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Their name is thought to derive from the Zuñi word for "enemy".1

Culturally, the Apache are divided into Eastern and Western groups. The Eastern Apache include the Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua, Lipan, and Kiowa Apache. Traditionally, they operated without a centralized tribal organization, with the autonomous band being the primary political and raiding unit.1

Their economy was flexible, incorporating hunting, gathering, farming, and raiding for resources. While some groups, like the Jicarilla, farmed extensively, others, like the Chiricahua, were more nomadic and aggressive raiders. The Apache adopted horses and adapted to a nomadic lifestyle, though some Plains Apache farmers existed until around 1700. They often raided Spanish missions and later American settlers, leading to prolonged conflict and eventual confinement to reservations.12