Why were Apaches important?

Answer 1

As it was told to me by my teacher, Thunder Cloud, a living Chiricahua Spiritual Adviser, the Ndee (which translates as 'The People' and is pronounced as 'in-day-ay'), or more commonly known as the Apache (enemy, fierce warrior) were important for many reasons.

The different tribes of the Apache such as the Chiricahua, the Mescalero, the Coyotero, the Jicarilla, San Carlos, Yavapai, Kiowa, Lipan, White Mountain, Salt River and Gila River Nations all retained specific roles within the spiritual, social, and economic structures of the tribal life.

Working together, the various tribes acted as separate autonomous governing bodies adhering to a strict, unwritten but very spiritual code of existence. The individual tribes acted together as states within a nation, except that their constitution was a spiritual one passed on to them by Usen, the Ndee's name for The One God, Creator of All.

Because spirituality was/is a way of life for them, and The Spirit of The Creator being in all things, honoring The Spirit in everything that they did/do and made/make is very important. Whether by singing sacred songs, offering the sacred tobacco or other important spiritual herbs, or some other form of devotion to The Creator, the Ndee, and most all Native Americans, made/make sure to honor The Holy Way and The Seven Sacred Directions.

The Holy Way is the order that spiritual devotion is traditionally followed. It is a way to acknowledge our ancestors, our selves, and our future generations and brings all three into alignment with The Four Winds (or Sacred Directions), Father Sky, Mother Earth, and The Way.

Although split into even more groups since the forced relocation of the Apache People in the late 1880's, it has been suggested that the initial number of Ndee Tribes corresponded to the same number of the Seven Sacred Directions. From what I've learned thus far (and I must disclaim that I still don't know anything and have very much yet to still learn), each tribe specialized in certain aspects.

For example, the Jicarilla specialized in weaving and basket making, which symbolizes taking Mother Earth in the form of grass, and shaping Her (Mother Earth) in a way that enhanced The Peoples way of life. Baskets, bowls, and cups are also an ancient symbol of The Female in almost all ancient traditions worldwide! This correlates to the enhanced amount of respect for The Sacred Divine Female in the Jicarilla spiritual traditions.

The Jicarilla also follow a strong Matriarchal way of life, as do most Ndee People, which means that the eldest female "Matriarch" was responsible for managing and making the decisions regarding the family clan. The well being of the family was of the utmost importance to all Ndee people, and their spiritual and social modes of living still reflects that core principle.

Because of the Jicarilla's enhanced role with Mother Earth and The Sacred Divine Female, the spiritual ceremonies and traditions the Jicarilla honored and kept alive might have been/might still be very important to the Coming-Of-Age or Rite of Puberty ceremonies. These spiritual ceremonies symbolize the proper time that a young female was ready to become a full woman and had reached the age at which she could become betrothed.

The Apache-Ndee Tribes also had separate Good Crop, Rain, Harvest and Spirit ceremonies and Sun and Moon Dances. Each spiritual ceremony had its own significance and meaning, with each Tribe specializing in specific areas.

Modern psychology is continuing to study the value of these ceremonies and how they reflect upon an individuals core of beliefs. The theory is that a persons actions stem from the values, morals, ethics and beliefs that generates within themselves. Ceremonies serve as a way of initiation, a way to bring the subconscious, the waking conscious, and the higher consciousness into line.

This is important to the psychological well being of an individual; it helps them to become centered in thoughts and actions. Ceremonies serve a specific purpose in helping an individual not only develop proper coping mechanisms and vital social skills, but to differentiate between important stages or events within a period of time, whether individual, familial, or societal.

This goes to show how imperative the spiritual traditions and the ceremonies of the Apaches were. The individual tribes honored, respected, and kept alive specific spiritual ceremonies and traditions that were a crucial part of the Ndee Peoples overall "collective spiritual consciousness", or the combined belief of ALL Apache Tribes.

When all the tribes came together at certain times of the year to honor the Sacred Seasons, each tribe had the chance to share with all members the specific spiritual ceremonies and traditions that each particular tribe honored and held dear. This complex socio-spiritual existence was/is nonetheless a working community structure that serves a vital role to the psychological well being of the individual tribal community member and thus the health of the tribe as a whole.

This explains, in a small acorn figuratively speaking, why the individual Apache-Ndee tribes were essential to each other and as a whole to their own spiritual, social, and economic beliefs (specifically in that order), but it only touches on the real and very intrinsic reason why the Apache-Ndee tribes were and still are important, as indeed are all Native Indigenous Cultures and Nations.

Existing within the spiritual and ceremonial practices of Indigenous Peoples (from the Inuit to the Aborigine) lies a true connection to the Subtle Energy Field. This is an exciting new branch of Quantum Physics, an area of science that is working on proving such theories such as String Theory and the Theory Of Everything.

String Theory suggests that every single individual particle of energy is linked by an invisible "string" of energy to every other particle. The Apache-Ndee have a legend that correlates strongly to that theory (part of the Creation Story). This and other examples (the ancient knowledge of the Egyptian, Mayan, and North African Dogon cultures just a few as references) show almost as strong evidence some kind of connection encoded within ancient and indigenous spiritual and cultural practices.

For most of recorded history a surprisingly large amount of the great thinkers, enlightened minds, atavistic individuals, and intuitive geniuses have accredited their insights or leaps of thinking to their access of or exposure to ancient indigenous tribal knowledge in some form, whether written, spoken, or otherwise through cultural practices like spiritual ceremonies.

From In-ho-tep's reference to Horus in ancient Egypt, Plato's reference to Ceres (from which we get the modern word for ceremonial) in Greece, Prince Siddhartha's exposure to Shiva and Shahkti in India, Confucius's rooting in ancient Chinese spiritual practices, Moses to El Shaddai or Mohammed to Al-Lah in the Middle East, every individual attributed the pattern of their thinking and intuitive insights to practices, ceremonies or traditions!

This ranges from ancient enlightened individuals to even modern day Quantum Physicists like Amit Goswami and the various multitude of great minds in between! It would be reasonable to say that all scholars could argue to a great extent that their own cultures spiritual practices were in some part partially responsible in the shaping of their cognitive process (i.e. thoughts, beliefs, values, morals, and ethics).

All of these were/are ancient in origin, having developed naturally from a native/tribal or indigenous cultural existence and definitely distinguishable as initially or intrinsically having been/still are considered important spiritual practices.

The point is that ancient indigenous tribal spiritual ceremonies, beliefs, cultures, and practices have ALL been a VITAL source of INSIGHT and ENLIGHTENMENT that is CRUCIAL to the proper development and well being of individuals, families, societies, and thus the whole human race when fully and properly studied and applied!!!

Since the Apache-Ndee people represent a yet still to be fully experienced source of inspiration and guidance, no one may fully say where and how the full benefits of their culture has yet to share with us. It has only been a mere century and a half that most other people have had contact with them. One can only imagine how much the human race as a whole may still be blessed should or as their culture be embraced!

This is the reason that Apache-Ndee People are still important: they collectively have ancient and intrinsic spiritual knowledge. It can be argued that spiritual knowledge, when properly studied and applied, leads to valuable insights in both the scientific, psychological and spiritual realms. Hence, the study of the Apache-Ndee's spiritual, social, and cultural practices properly applied will be very beneficial and is thus very important!