Hostilities

• The word "Apache" means "fighting men" in a Yuman dialect. Apache Indians were known by European settlers as nomads who had a craving for war. When the Spanish came to North America in the late 1500s, they were met with hostility and resistance. Apache Indians guarded their lands in what is today the Southwest United States. Fierce wars were waged between the Spanish intruders and the Apaches, ultimately resulting in the displacement of the tribe. Uprooted Apaches engaged in food raids and attacks on settlers well into the 1800s. These fierce fighters were among the first American Indians to use horses in battle.
  
  

Hunting

• Apache Indians were hunter-gatherers. Their diets included wild game and edible plants. Men would learn to hunt at a young age while women and children gathered cactus fruits and berries. Apache hunters targeted buffalo, bears, coyotes, foxes, wild turkeys, jackrabbits, mountain lions and deer. They did not hunt fish, snakes or dogs because they believed these animals were unclean. Before a hunt, Apache men would grease their bodies with animal fat in order to mask their odor. This helped skilled hunters approach prey without being detected.
  
  

Religion and Ceremony

• Apache life was filled with devout religious practice. Tribe members prayed to Apache spirits who they believed dwelled on their lands during times of peace and surplus. In addition to prayer, Apache's held ceremonies called dances. These rituals varied and among them were rain dances, spirit dances, sunrise dances (for young women), and harvest and crop dances. The sunrise dance was a dance to celebrate a girl's ascendancy to womanhood. The ritual was a test of endurance and lasted four days.
  
  

Symbolism

• Symbols were deeply rooted in the culture of the Apache. The most important Apache symbol was the circle. It represented the life path of all living things. Apache homes were shaped in a round fashion and religious ceremonies were performed in circular enclosures. Dances were also performed in tight circles. The circle can be found in the Apache four-hoop symbol. Each hoop is colored in one of the four sacred tribal colors: black, yellow, green and white. The four colors represent the four directions, the four earthly seasons and the four major divisions of day. A basket was also symbolic in Apache culture. It symbolizes an individual's realm of existence with the center hole representative of her birth.