The types of indigenous groups that appeal to me as an American student are

American Indian groups. I specifically remember growing watching a TV show called

Deadliest Warrior on Spike TV. There was an episode where I learned about how great
of warriors the Apache Indians were and I was simply amazed at some of the tactics that
they used to fight. After doing some research, I was not only thrilled to find out that the
Apache Indians derive from the Alaska, Canada, and some small parts in the American
Southwest; but I was also amazed by the story of their origin and how myths that they
believe in shaped and molded the Apache tribe into what it is today. I have learned from
my Global Connections class that there is so much more to indigenous groups, such as
the Apache Indians, than what the media displays. I learned that it isnt only their
incredible fighting tactics that defined who the Apache Indians were. Rather, it is their
religion, customs, history, rituals, and origins as a collective whole that truly defines who
they are.
To briefly summarize the Apache Indians history, they started out in the places I
previously mentioned. Being the nomads that they were, they ended up migrating south
into America, and by 1700, they had landed on the Kansas Plains. Here, they survived by
consuming food that they were not accustomed to, such as watermelon, beans and corn.
Due to battles with the Comanche tribe and the Spaniards, they were slowly but surely
pushed more and more south until they had been pushed down into Oklahoma, Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, and the northern tip of Mexico (where most of them reside today).
The fighting with the Spaniards began around the 1730s and ended in 1743 with the
Spanish leader agreeing to designate certain places in Texas where the Apaches could
safely live. The term bury the hatchet came from the ceremony following the end of

this battle when the Apache Chief symbolically buried a hatchet to announce that fighting
with the Spaniards had ended.
One of the things that I found interesting when researching the Apache Indians
was their use of feathers to show wisdom, justice, and power. This sacred piece of
material culture derived from the origin of the Apache tribe. This tribe believes that at the
beginning of the world, darkness covered the entire landscape of Earth. There was not a
hint of light to be found. Additionally, there were beasts and animals (dragons, lions,
wolves, foxes, nameless beasts, beavers, squirrels, rats, mice, lizards, serpents, etc.) that
made it impossible for humans to thrive. These animals and beasts split up into two
tribes. One of the tribes was the feathered tribe, who, with the eagle serving as their chief,
were made up of birds. The other tribe was the beasts. The birds are viewed as the
protagonists in the formation of the Earth, for they wanted light to be admitted. They
fought for light in councils that were held between the two tribes.
Eventually, this debate led to a battle between the feathered tribe and the beasts.
This was an extremely tough battle for the feathered tribe because the beasts had many
advantages stacking up for them. For one, the serpents and the dragons could not be
destroyed. The serpents were sneaky and wise so it was impossible to exterminate all of
them. The dragons had four layers of skin, so the bow and arrow (the weapon that the
feathered tribe used) was not a strong enough weapon to kill the beast. Furthermore, the
bears multiplied whenever they were killed. The odds of winning the battle were in favor
of the beasts and the possibility of a thriving population of humans dwindled.
The nameless beasts had also proved to be immune to the inferior bow and arrows
that the feathered tribe was using. In what seems to be a last-ditch effort, the Chief

(eagle), flew into the air and dropped a round, white stone onto the nameless beasts head
and killed him. This death proved to be a turning point of the battle and the feathered
tribe eventually came out on top, resulting in light on Earth and the possibility of a
thriving and prosperous human mankind. Because of this victory, men in the Apache tribe
wear feathers to symbolize wisdom, justice and power; just as the feathered tribe
demonstrated many days ago.
Another thing that I found intriguing was that the Apache tribe has certain dances
that serve as ritual acts to achieve healing. One of the dances, performed by the Jicarilla
division of the Apache Indians, is called the Bear Dance. This dance, which is also more
commonly known as the Holiness Rite, is part of a ceremony that is based on an event
that followed the admittance of light on Earth. After light was emitted and people
emerged onto Earth, the bear and the snake stole two girls, which led the belief of a
sickness that comes directly from the bear and the snake. As a result, a ceremony was
created that lasts for four days and has the ability to cure twelve individuals from the bear
and snake sickness. Part of the ceremony is the Bear Dance, which is performed before
and during a full moon, typically for three whole days. The Bear Dance directly connects
with my Global Connections course because we have been talking about rituals and
dances that are performed by various indigenous groups all across the world. This dance
particularly reminded me of the Sun Dance, which is also an American Indian ritual.

SOURCES
http://www.indians.org/articles/apache-indians.html
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-HtmlLegends/Geronimo_His_Own_Story_1.html#Origin_of_the_Apache_Indians
http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1735