Who Were The Apache Indian Nation?

The name Apache comes from a Zuni word which means 'enemy'. They are divided into various tribal subgroups such as the western Apache, which include Northern and Southern Tonto, Mimbreno, and Coyote. The Eastern Apache are the Chiricahua, Mescalero, Jicirilla, Lipan, and Kiowa Apache. It is widely accepted that the original Native American tribes came from Asia by way of the Bering Strait. The Apache are believed to have arrived in the Southwest some time between 1000 and 1500 C.E. The language of the Apache has been linked by linguists to that of the Athapaskan speaking peoples of Alaska and Canada.  

The Apache had a long and distinguished history already behind them when it was decided by European officialdom that they were to be banished from their homelands and either converted to Christian farmers or exterminated. However, it took little more than 150 years to totally decimate the Apache nation.