A Chiricahua Apache of the Chokonen band, Cochise (c. 1810–1874) was one of the most celebrated Indian leaders of his time, battling both American intrusions and Mexican troops in the turbulent border region of nineteenth-century Arizona. Much of what we know of Cochise has come down to us in military reports, eyewitness accounts, letters, and numerous interviews the usually reticent chief granted in the last decade of his life. Cochise: Firsthand Accounts of the Chiricahua Apache Chief brings together the most revealing of these documents to provide the most nuanced, multifaceted portrait possible of the Apache leader. In particular, the interviews, many printed here for the first time, are the closest we will ever get to autobiographical material on this notable man, his life, and his times. Edwin R. Sweeney, a preeminent historian of the Apaches and their leaders, has assembled this collection from U.S. military records, Indian agency reports, U.S. and Mexican newspapers and journals, and transcribed personal recollections. Throughout we hear the voices of those who knew Cochise well or observed him firsthand, including one who had never "met his equal with a lance" and another who attested that "no Apache warrior can draw an arrow to the head and send it farther with more ease than he." We get two distinctly different views of the murderous events that led to the infamous Bascom Affair, in which Cochise and an American lieutenant squared off in a spiraling war of revenge. And we gain rare and unexpected insight into Cochise's thoughts during the Chiricahuas' move to the reservation at Tularosa. In addition to a close-up picture of a pivotal figure in western history, Cochise offers accounts of a vanished world from people who lived in that world.

On the Bloody Road to Jesus is a study of the rich religious legacy of the Chiricahua Apaches and its inevitable collision with Christianity. Beginning with Apache creation stories, H. Henrietta Stockel describes Chiricahua beliefs and ceremonies before going on to recount the conditions of the Spanish colonial frontier at the moment of conquest. Subsequent chapters trace events that culminated in the surrender of the Chiricahua Apaches in 1886, the twenty-seven years of incarceration as American prisoners of war in Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma, and the life-changing consequences of the children's education in government-sponsored boarding schools. Stockel portrays an unbroken sequence of economic motivations on the part of the Spanish, Mexican, and American governments, each eager to expand their respective territories. Equally unbroken was the resistance of the Apaches to indoctrination. According to Stockel, the Chiricahua Apaches never completely surrendered their traditional religion to Christianity. Like other syncretistic religions, their beliefs incorporated aspects of Christian dogma even while they protected their own religion from outsiders. This is a complicated story rich in cross-cultural encounters on the battlefield, in mission churches, and in the classroom. Stockel's research and writing bring to life the fierce resistance of a heroic people.

Drawing on four decades of research, the authors present a history of the cards created by Apache Indians after playing cards were introduced into their culture by Spanish explorers and colonists. Includes reproductions of cards from more than 100 packs in museums and private collections around the world.

Written for high school students and general readers alike, this insightful treatment links the storied past of various Apache tribes with their life in contemporary times. Written for high school students and general readers alike, Culture and Customs of the Apache Indians links the storied past of the Apaches with contemporary times. It covers modern-day Apache culture and customs for all eight tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma since the end of the Apache wars in the 1880s. Highlighting tribal religion, government, social customs, lifestyle, and family structures, as well as arts, music, dance, and contemporary issues, the book helps readers understand Apaches today, countering stereotypes based on the 18th- and 19th-century views created by the popular media. It demonstrates that Apache communities are contributing members of society and that, while their culture and customs are based on traditional ways, they live and work in the modern world.