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An
Apache Jicarilla Camp in 1905, photo by Edward S.
Curtis.
This image available for
photographic prints and downloads
HERE!
The Jicarilla
Apaches
were just one of six southern Athapascan groups which migrated out of
Canada sometime around 1300 to 1500 A.D. Moving their way south, they
settled in the southwest where their traditional homeland covered more
than 50 million acres across north
New Mexico, southern
Colorado and
western
Oklahoma.
The geography of the
region shaped two bands of the Jicarilla – the Llaneros, or plains
people, and the Olleros, or mountain-valley people. The name Jicarilla,
pronounced hek-a-REH-ya, means "little basket maker” in Spanish
When Francisco
Vásquez de Coronado's expedition journeyed through the northeastern
plains of
New Mexico in search of gold, the Jicarilla were living a
nomadic lifestyle and were generally indifferent to the intruders.
That was until the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 triggered the re-conquest of
New Mexico.
Prior to that time, there were approximately 10,000 Jicarilla
Apache,
but by 1897, their population had plummeted to just a little more than
300 souls, lost to disease, war, and famine.
In 1887, a
reservation in northern
New Mexico was established for the Jicarilla,
who prior to that time were considered squatters on their own lands,
denied citizenship and the right to own land.
Today, the Jicarilla
Nation, of more than 3,000 members is self-sufficient with a strong
economy of sheep herding, oil and gas wells, and casinos. They
continue to be acclaimed for the beauty and excellent craftsmanship of
their traditional basket-making, beadwork, and clay pottery.
Continued
Next Page
Also See:
Apache - The Fiercest Warriors in the
Southwest
Apache Legends
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