Customer Reviews

The Apache Indians (Bison Book)

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This book will de bunk the myth about apaches being savages and uncultured criminals. The apache people were a nomadic people, and the US Government taught them more about treachery than any village elder ever could. Treaties broken , starving people forced to march to barren wastelands, all the things the US Government forced the apache to endure are here. Only then did the apache begin to fight the white man in seriousness, and then only in small numbers. It is a tribute to their tenacity and strength that they were able to avoid capture by 'three stars' Crook for so long. In particular my favorite chapters were those about noble apache chiefs like Cochise and Mangas Colorado. These were the true leaders of the apache, Geronimo was never revered as a leader until he broke off from the main tribe. I have read this book over and over, its a hard read, but worth it.

I got my copy of this at a National Park bookstore. It is a gripping book. (I bought several books on the Southwest at the same time, and most of them were soporific, so this one really stood out.) It was first published in 1938 and relies on, among other things, first-hand accounts (although as the author reminds us, one cannot expect entirely dispassionate histories from people who actually lost friends or family in skirmishes). The book is fair and even-handed, especially remarkable for the time.

Southwest history and the Native-American experience tends not to garner the attention of the Plains Indians. This is a great book for anyone interested in learning more about this complex culture and the impact of westward migration on the Apache.