Fort Sill Apache Tribe
From MedBib.com - Medicine & Nature
|
| Total population |
|---|
| 640 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| United States (Oklahoma) |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
Christianity, Native American Church, traditional tribal religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Kiowa-Apache, Jicarilla Apache, Lipan Apache, Mescalero Apache, Western Apache, Navajo |
The Fort Sill Apache Tribe is the federally recognized Native American tribe of Chiricahua Warm Springs Apaches from Oklahoma.
Contents |
History
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The Fort Sill Apache Tribe is a tribe of Chiricahua Apaches. Apaches are Athabaskan peoples that migrated from the subarctic to the southwestern United States many centuries ago. The Chiricahua settled in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, northern Sonora, and northern Chihuahua. By the late 19th century, Chiricahua territory encompassed an estimated 15 millions acres.[1]
In 1886, Chiricahuas were taken as Prisoners of War by the U.S. federal government and their land was seized. The military forcibly removed 400 members of the tribe from the Fort Apache and San Carlos Reservations[1] to U.S. Army installations in Alabama and Florida.[2] In 1894, they were relocated to Indian Territory by a special provision passed by the US Congress. They were the last Indian tribe to be relocated into what is now Oklahoma.[2]
The Chiricahuas arrived at Fort Sill and were promised the lands surrounding the fort as theirs to settle; however, local non-Indians resisted Apache settlement, and the tribe was pressured to leave. Many wanted to return to their traditional lands in the southwest, and the Mescalero Apaches offered them land on their reservation. A third of the third stayed, demanding that the US fulfill its promise to give them the Fort Sill lands.[2] As a compromise, the government gave the remaining Chiricahuas unclaimed allotment land on the nearby Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation.[2] in 1914, 84 individuals were released from prisoner status and granted allotment lands around Fletcher and Apache, Oklahoma.[2]
The Fort Sill Apaches struggled in the ensuing years in the economically depressed areas of southwestern Oklahoma. The tribe seized the opportunity afforded by Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 and, with great difficulty and perseverance, organized as a federally recognized tribe in 1976.[2]
The first chairperson of the newly organized tribe was Mildred Cleghorn, one of the last Chiricahua Apaches born under "prisoner of war" status.[2] She was an educator and traditional doll maker, and was regarded as a cultural leader.[3] She served as tribal chairperson until 1995 and focused on sustaining history and traditional Chiricahua culture.[3]
Allan Houser was the first Fort Sill Apache child to be born free. He became one of the most celebrated Native American sculptors of the 20th century. His sons, Bob Haozous and Philip Haozous, both enrolled in the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, are successful sculptors today.
Today
The Fort Sill Apache is now headquartered in Apache, Oklahoma. Tribal enrollment stands at 630, with 300 tribal members living within the state of Oklahoma.[4] The tribe continues to maintain close connections to the Chiricahua Apaches who moved to the Mescalero Apache Reservation into the present day.[2]
Jeff Houser is the elected tribal chairman, currently serving a two-year term.[4] Its tribal jurisdictional area, as opposed to a reservation, spans Caddo, Comanche, and Grady Counties in Oklahoma.[4] The tribe operates its own housing program, Fort Sill Apache Industries[4] and the Fort Sill Apache Casino in Lawton, Oklahoma.[5] The tribe's 2008 economic impact was $10,000,000.[4] Working with the EPA, the tribe has established its own environmental protection office to abate illegal dumping, encourage recycling, train certified water operators, and to educate the public about environmental issues.[6]
Four acres of sacred land in Cochise County, Arizona have been returned to the tribe thanks to the generosity of a private landholder.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c Turcheneske, John Anthony, Jr "Historical Territory." Fort Sill Apache Tribe. 2003 (retrieved 1 Feb 2009)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Coppersmith, Clifford P. "Apache Fort Sill." Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. (retrieved 1 Feb 09)
- ^ a b Everett, Dianna. "Cleghorn, Mildred Imoch (1910-1997)" Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. (retrieved 1 Feb 09)
- ^ a b c d e Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. 2008 Pocket Pictorial. Page 14
- ^ "Casinos." 500 Nations. 2009 (retrieved 1 Feb 2009)
- ^ "EPA Awards Over $100,000 to the Fort Sill Apache Tribe to Develop Environmental Protection Program." EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency. 12 Dec 07 (retrieved 1 Feb 2009)
External links
- Unofficial Website of the Fort Apache Tribe
- Constitution and By-Laws of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
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