Fort Apache Indian Reservation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation
White Mountain Apache seal.png
Seal of the White Mountain Apache tribe
Total population
12,429
Regions with significant populations
 United States ( Arizona)
Languages
Western Apache, English
Religion
Christianity (especially Catholicism & Lutheranism), ,
Related ethnic groups
Western Apache, San Carlos Apache, Navajo

The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 1.6 million acres and a population of 12,429 people as of the 2000 census.[1] The largest community is in Whiteriver.

History[]

Further information: Western Apache people and Apacheria

Apache is a colonial classification term for the White Mountain Apache and all other Apache peoples. The White Mountain Apache consisted of three major groups that were made up of sub-groups called bands and clans, within which were families. There were clan rules controlling marriages between persons of families in different clans.

The largest of these three groups were collectively known as "On Top of Mountains People", the second major group was known as "Many Go to War People", and the last was known as "At the Base of the Mountains People". These names in indigenous White Mountain Apache dialect predate relations with the United States. Some contemporary White Mountain Apache have urged the adoption and use of these terms for the three major groups.

Fort Apache, originally called Camp Apache, was established by the United States Army in 1869 at the suggestion of White Mountain Apache leadership. They knew that the Navajo were resisting US supervision. After warfare, the US forced the Navajo and Mescalero Apache on the Long March to remove to Fort Sumner in New Mexico in 1863-1864, where they were held nearby at Bosque Redondo for years. They were finally allowed to return to their homeland in 1868.

In 1871 General George Crook enrolled 50 White Mountain Apache men to serve as scouts for his army during the Apache Wars, which lasted intermittently for 15 years. These wars ended with the surrender of Chiricahua leader Geronimo in 1886. Because of the scouts' service to General Crook during the Apache Wars, he worked to enable the White Mountain Apache tribe to keep a large portion of their homeland as their reservation (named for them).

In 1922, the U.S. Army left Fort Apache, which was surrounded by the reservation. It was transferred to the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1923 for further use. The BIA established an Indian Boarding School here in order to use these facilities. It was named after President Theodore Roosevelt.[2]

The school was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2012, as a contributing part of Fort Apache Historic Park. The entire former military complex was recognized, as well as the role of the school in tribal assimilation.

The White Mountain Apache now operate the as a tribally controlled middle-school facility.[3] They have a contractual arrangement with the Bureau of Indian Education, which funds the school.

Government[]

The White Mountain Apache created their own constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. In 1936 they elected a tribal council that governs the tribe and reservation. It oversees all tribe-owned property, local businesses, and governance.

Geography[]

The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is covered mostly by pine forests and is habitat to a variety of forest wildlife. It is located directly south of the Mogollon Rim. The highest point in the reservation is Baldy Peak, with an elevation of 11,403 feet (3,476 m).

Economy[]

The Fort Apache Indian Reservation, south of Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

The tribe operates the Sunrise ski resort and the Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center.[4] It has built the Apache Cultural Center & Museum, constructed in the traditional style of a gowa.

Other attractions within the reservation include the Fort Apache Historic Park, which has 27 buildings surviving of the historic fort and a 288-acre (117 ha) National Historic District; and other historic sites.

Kinishba Ruins, an ancient archeological site (1150–1350 CE) of the western Pueblo culture, is a National Historic Landmark. It is located on nearby associated tribal trust lands. Appointments may be made to visit the site.

Demographics[]

According to the US Census Bureau, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which is located in Navajo County, is developed with small communities. North Fork, Whiteriver, Fort Apache, East Fork, Rainbow City, Cibecue, Hon-Dah, McNary, Turkey Creek, and Seven Mile are the communities, comprising a total population of 22,036 in 2010 on the reservation.[5]

Communities[]

A collection of handwoven Apache Indian baskets, displayed about 1900

Gallery[]

  • Apache warriors near the fort, 1873

  • White Mountain Apache, prior to 1903 by Edward S. Curtis

  • Members of the Western Apache tribe with a representative from United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema's office in 2019.

See also[]

References[]

  • Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona United States Census Bureau
  • Goddard, Pliny Earle (1920). White Mountain Apache texts. The Trustees. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  • Goodwin, Grenville (1994). Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache. University of Arizona Press[ISBN missing]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona , United States Census Bureau
  2. ^ For a full history of the school and description as of 1970, see http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/ref/collection/feddocs/id/1573
  3. ^ "Fort Apache Earns Historic Designation for Role in Tribal Assimilation", Cronkite News online, March 2012
  4. ^ "Home". Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center.
  5. ^ [1]

External links[]

Coordinates: 33°55′42″N 110°07′58″W / 33.92833°N 110.13278°W / 33.92833; -110.13278

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