1. Nadotz Ozn (By Sharp Mountains).
2. Pis A Hon (Bank Caved In).
_Arivaipa Clans_
1. Glesh Chin (Red Clay).
2. Des Zepu{~COMBINING BREVE~}n (Big Gray Cottonwoods).
3. Tsez Zhune{~COMBINING BREVE~} (By the Little Black Rocks).
4. Tse Des Kain (White-rock People).
_Chiricahua Clans_
1. Aiahan (People of the East).
2. Nde Ndai (Apache Half Mexican).
3. Cho Kune{~COMBINING BREVE~} (Ridge on the Mountain-side).
4. Chan Han (Red People).
MARRIAGE--Strictly speaking, barter for women at an agreed price was never
the custom among the Apache,--so the older of the present generation
contend,--personal choice on the part of the girl having always to be
considered. Nevertheless, payment for the bride is always made to her
parents in the form of grain, money, horses, saddles, blankets, or cattle.
The bride's consent is necessary, custom requiring the young man to prove
his moral strength, and ability to support a wife and himself, by erecting
a neat house and permitting the girl of his choice to occupy it with him
for four nights without being molested or having her presence observed. By
preparing his breakfast the morning following the fourth night the girl
acknowledges her willingness to marry, and the agreement as to the
definite payment her parents shall receive may be made any time later. She
then becomes the man's wife, though a month may sometimes elapse before
the agreement is sealed and the consequent payment made.
GENESIS--In the unbroken darkness of the beginning of time appeared a small
spot, which grew as embryonic life and became a human figure, known in the
myth as Kuterastan, The One Who Lives Above. This creator then made light,
and next Stenatlihan, Woman Without Parents. Next he created Chuganaai,
The Sun, and following him Hadintin Skhin, Pollen Boy. The creator next
made the earth, and then the other gods of the Apache pantheon. Following
their creation he instructed the various gods in their respective duties,
and then disappeared into the sky through the smoke from a miraculous
fire.
PERSON OF MIRACULOUS BIRTH--Stenatlihan, a goddess, is the mother of two
boys, who perform miracles and act as saviours of the people. The elder
brother, Naye{~COMBINING BREVE~}nezgani, conceived by the Sun, is the more active and is
revered as the God of War. To Tubadzischi{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni, conceived by Water, is
ascribed the making of the ocean as it now is, and he is supposed to have
much to do with water in the form of rain and snow.
CEREMONIES--The ceremonies are invariably called "dances." Among these are:
a rain dance, a puberty rite, a harvest or good-crop dance, and a spirit
dance. The medicine dance is the creation of a medicine-man and varies
with his individual views. The ceremonial paraphernalia of the other four
dances may vary in accordance with the dictates of the medicine-man, but
for the greater part follows prescribed formula. The Apache are devoutly
religious and pray on many occasions and in various ways: sometimes with
the aid of little images representing gods, sometimes with painted
deerskins and caps, and sometimes by merely facing the cardinal points and
scattering pollen to the four winds for the gods from whom they seek
favor. Usually the plants employed by them as medicine are dug in a
ceremonial way, one notable exception being the gathering of pollen, no
prayers being offered at that time. In secluded spots in the hills and
mountains are found round cairns, with cedar and other twigs deposited
upon them. These are shrines at which the Apache make offerings to their
favorite gods. The medicine ceremonies are very numerous and vary with the
dreams and personal views of the medicine-man who conducts them.
BURIAL--Everywhere throughout the hills and mountains of the reservation
one finds small heaps of stones. In most instances these mark Apache
graves. A favorite place of burial is a cleft in the rocks, in which the
body is placed by the deceased's relatives and covered with stones. These
small stones are always deposited one at a time, the Apache believing that
to put them on the body all at once would shorten the life of the one so
doing. Infants are usually placed on the upper branches of large cedar or
pinon trees. The child is wrapped in its carrier, or cradle-board, which
is left face up and covered with any sort of cloth, the belief being that
the souls of infants are not strong enough to come out through the stones,
should they be placed in the ground and covered therewith.
AFTER-WORLD--Re-created in the human form, Apache spirits are supposed to
dwell in a land of peace and plenty, where there is neither disease nor
death. The Milky Way is the path of all souls to the after-world. Yolkai
Nali{~COMBINING BREVE~}n is the guardian goddess of this spirit land, and the spirits of the
dead are supposed to journey four days before reaching it. Formerly horses
were killed beside the grave of the dead, that they might use them in the
after-world. For the same reason wearing apparel was also placed at the
grave, together with available articles of adornment and accoutrement.