This is the second book in an invaluable series about different Indian tribes of North America. Indians of the Longhouse, the story of the Iroquois, was the first. Others in preparation are about the Indians of the Northwest Coast, the Crow, the Seminole, the California Coast tribes, the Delaware, the Ojibway, and the Cherokee.
The Apache of the Southwest have always been among the most colorful of all Indian tribes. Fierce raiders and fighters, they were for hundreds of years the terror of more peaceful tribes and of frontier settlers. Unlike many Indians, they were wanderers, moving their home camps as they needed new hunting ranges or planned new raids. They roamed over all the territory that now is Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico.
These dreaded fighters had a well-ordered life of their own. The camps were well governed and their religious ceremonies carefully observed. Apache children were dearly loved, but both boys and girls received strict training. How the wickiups were built, what the Apaches ate and how their food was cooked, the sports and contests they enjoyed, their wily tricks in tracking down the herds of buffalo and deer — all these and many other interesting habits and customs are described. Apache women were skilled potters and basket makers. We see how they carried on these crafts, and the pictures show some of the beautiful designs. Other chapters tell the history of the Apaches, past and present, and how they live today.
Miss Bleeker is an anthropologist who has devoted years to the study of North American Indians. She is admirably equipped for the writing of this series, since she not only knows her subject but also how to make it fascinating to young readers.
—from the dust jacket
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