The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an

Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...

on the border of New Mexico and Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...

, Gila, and

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation (

Western Apache language The Western Apache language is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken among the 14,000 Western Apaches in Mexico in the states of Sonora and Chihuahua and in east-central Arizona. There are approximately 6,000 speakers living on the San Carlos ...

: Dził Łigai Si'án N'dee), a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 1.6 million acres and a population of 12,429 people as of the 2000 census.Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona
, United States Census Bureau The largest community is in Whiteriver.

History

Apache is a colonial classification term for the White Mountain Apache and all other Apache peoples. The White Mountain Apache consisted of three major groups that were made up of sub-groups called bands and

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...

, within which were families. There were clan rules controlling marriages between persons of families in different clans. The largest of these three groups were collectively known as "On Top of Mountains People", the second major group was known as "Many Go to War People", and the last was known as "At the Base of the Mountains People". These names in indigenous White Mountain Apache dialect predate relations with the United States. Some contemporary White Mountain Apache have urged the adoption and use of these terms for the three major groups. Fort Apache, originally called Camp Apache, was established by the United States Army in 1870 at the suggestion of White Mountain Apache leadership. They knew that the Navajo were resisting US supervision. After warfare, the US forced the Navajo and Mescalero Apache on the

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...

to remove to

Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...

in New Mexico in 1863-1864, where they were held nearby at

Bosque Redondo Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...

for years. They were finally allowed to return to their homeland in 1868. In 1871 General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...

enrolled 50 White Mountain Apache men to serve as scouts for his army during the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexi ...

, which lasted intermittently for 15 years. These wars ended with the surrender of

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehend ...

leader

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache b ...

in 1886. Because of the scouts' service to General Crook during the Apache Wars, he worked to enable the White Mountain Apache tribe to keep a large portion of their homeland as their reservation (named for them). In 1922, the U.S. Army left Fort Apache, which was surrounded by the reservation. It was transferred to the Department of Interior's

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

in 1923 for further use. The BIA established an

Indian Boarding School American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...

here in order to use these facilities. It was named after President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. The school was designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

in 2012, as a contributing part of Fort Apache Historic Park. The entire former military complex was recognized, as well as the role of the school in tribal assimilation. The White Mountain Apache now operate the Roosevelt Indian School as a tribally controlled middle-school facility. They have a contractual arrangement with the Bureau of Indian Education, which funds the school.

Government

The White Mountain Apache created their own constitution under the

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

of 1934. In 1936 they elected a tribal council that governs the tribe and reservation. It oversees all tribe-owned property, local businesses, and governance.

Geography

The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is covered mostly by pine forests and is habitat to a variety of forest wildlife. It is located directly south of the Mogollon Rim. The highest point in the reservation is Baldy Peak, with an elevation of .

Economy

The tribe operates the Sunrise ski resort and the Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center. It has built the Apache Cultural Center & Museum, constructed in the traditional style of a ''gowa.'' Other attractions within the reservation include the Fort Apache Historic Park, which has 27 buildings surviving of the historic fort and a National Historic District; and other historic sites. Kinishba Ruins, an ancient

archeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

site () of the western

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

culture, is a

. It is located on nearby associated tribal trust lands. Appointments may be made to visit the site.

Demographics

According to the US Census Bureau, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which is located in Navajo County, is developed with small communities. North Fork, Whiteriver, Fort Apache, East Fork, Rainbow City, Cibecue, Hon-Dah, McNary, Turkey Creek, and Seven Mile are the communities, comprising a total population of 22,036 in 2010 on the reservation.https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-4.pdf

Transportation

The White Mountain Apache Tribe operates the Fort Apache Connection Transit, which provides local bus service. The City of Show Low operates the Four Seasons Connection, which provides service from the Hondah Casino to Show Low and

Pinetop-Lakeside Pinetop–Lakeside is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to 2020 census, the population of the town is 4,557. It was founded in 1984 when the neighboring towns of Pinetop and Lakeside merged. Pinetop–Lakeside is a po ...

Communities

* Canyon Day * Carrizo * Cedar Creek * Cibecue * East Fork * Fort Apache * Hondah * McNary * North Fork * Rainbow City * Seven Mile * Turkey Creek * Whiteriver

Education

Young Elementary School District Young Public School District 5 is a school district in Gila County, Arizona serving the community of Young, Arizona. It operates only one school, Young Public School, which comprises grades K though 8. In 1984 the district included sections of ...

included sections of the reservation. In 1984 the Young district contracted with

Whiteriver Unified School District Whiteriver Unified School District is a school district in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The district serves parts of Navajo County, including the communities of Cibecue, East Fork, and Whiteriver. Service area Young Elementary Scho ...

to educate the Fort Apache students, numbering about 200, due to roads being inaccessible between Fort Apache and Young.
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Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

. these parts of the reservation are now directly in Whiteriver USD.

References

Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona
United States Census Bureau * * Goodwin, Grenville (1994). ''Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache''. University of Arizona Press

Footnotes

External links

*
Fort Apache Heritage Foundation

Arizona Intertribal Council * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Apache Indian Reservation American Indian reservations in Arizona Geography of Apache County, Arizona Geography of Gila County, Arizona Geography of Navajo County, Arizona Federally recognized tribes in the United States Apache tribes Mogollon Rim Western Apache