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Jicarilla Apache (, Jicarilla language: Jicarilla Dindéi), one of several loosely organized autonomous bands of the Eastern Apache, refers to the members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation currently living in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
and speaking a Southern Athabaskan language. The term ''jicarilla'' comes from
Mexican Spanish Mexican Spanish ( es, español mexicano) is the variety of Dialect, dialects and Sociolect, sociolects of the Spanish language spoken in Mexican territory. Mexico has the largest number of Spanish speakers, with more than twice as many as in a ...
meaning "little basket", referring to the small sealed baskets they used as drinking vessels. To neighboring Apache bands, such as the
Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south- ...
and Lipan, they were known as ''Kinya-Inde'' ("People who live in fixed houses"). The Jicarilla called themselves also ''Haisndayin'' translated as "people who came from below". because they believed themselves to be the sole descendants of the first people to emerge from the underworld, the abode of Ancestral Man and Ancestral Woman, who produced the first people. The Jicarilla believed ''Hascin'', their chief deity, was responsible for the creation of Ancestral Man and Ancestral Woman and also for the creation of the animals and the sun and moon. The Jicarilla Apache lived in a
seminomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the pop ...
existence in the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains ( Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South ...
and plains of southern
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and northern
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
, and ranged into the Great Plains starting before 1525 CE. They lived a relatively peaceful life for years, traveling seasonally to traditional hunting, gathering and cultivation along river beds. The Jicarilla learned about farming and pottery from the Puebloan peoples and learned about survival on the plains from the
Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) o ...
and had a rich and varied diet and lifestyle. The Jicarilla's farming practices expanded to the point where they required considerable time and energy. As a result, the people became rather firmly settled and tended to engage in warfare less frequently than did other Eastern Apache groups. Starting in the 1700s colonial
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
, pressure from other Native American tribes, such as the
Comanches The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...
, and later
westward expansion The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independent ...
of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
resulted in significant loss of property, expulsion from their sacred lands, and relocation to lands not suited for survival. The mid-1800s until the mid-1900s were particularly difficult, as tribal bands were displaced, treaties made and broken, subject to significant loss of life due to
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
and other diseases, and lack of opportunities for survival. By 1887, they received their reservation, which was expanded in 1907 to include land more conducive to ranching and agriculture, and within several decades, they realized the rich
natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
of the San Juan Basin under the reservation land. Tribal members transitioned from a seminomadic lifestyle and are now supported by their oil and gas,
casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live enterta ...
gaming,
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
,
ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most oft ...
ing, and
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
industries on the reservation. The Jicarilla continue to be known for their
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and po ...
, basketry, and
beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary ...
.


History


Early history

The Jicarilla Apaches are one of the Athabaskan linguistic groups that migrated out of
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, by 1525 CE, and possibly several hundred or more years earlier, and lived in what they considered their land bounded by four sacred rivers in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado: the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...
, Pecos River,
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United S ...
, and
Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and the western portions of Oklahoma and
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
.Velarde Tiller, 28. They were found to be in the Chama Valley, New Mexico, and points east by the 1600s. Prior to that time, and the arrival of the Spanish, the Jicarilla lived a relatively peaceful existence.Pritzker, 12. In the 1600s, the Jicarillas were seminomadic, practicing seasonal
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
that they learned from the
Pueblo people The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, ...
and Spaniards of New Spain along the rivers that flow through their territory.Greenwald, 97. The Apache are linked to the
Dismal River culture The Dismal River culture refers to a set of cultural attributes first seen in the Dismal River area of Nebraska in the 1930s by archaeologists William Duncan Strong, Waldo Rudolph Wedel and A. T. Hill. Also known as Dismal River aspect and Dismal ...
of the western Plains,Cassells, pp. 236.. generally attributed to the Paloma and Quartelejo (also Cuartelejo) Apaches. Jicarilla Apache pottery has also been found in some of the Dismal River complex sites.Gibbon, p. 213. Some of the people of the Dismal River culture joined the Kiowa Apache in the
Black Hills The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk P ...
of
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. Due to pressure from the Comanche from the west and Pawnee and
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
from the east, the Kiowa and remaining people of Dismal River culture migrated south, where they later joined the Lipan Apache and Jicarilla Apache nations. By the 1800s, they were planting along the rivers, especially along the upper Arkansas River and its tributaries, a variety of crops, sometimes using
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been dev ...
to aid in growing squash, beans, pumpkins, melons, peas, wheat, and corn. They found farming in the mountains safer than on the open plains. They primarily hunted buffalo into the 17th century, and thereafter hunted antelope, deer, mountain sheep, elk, and buffalo. From the wild, women gathered berries, agave, honey, onions, potatoes, nuts, and seeds.


Sacred land and creation story

From the Jicarilla creation story, the land bounded by the four
sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or godd ...
rivers was provided to them by the Creator, with select places for communicating with the Creator and spirits, sacred rivers and mountains to be respected and conserved, and very specific places for obtaining items for ceremonial rituals, such as white
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...
found southeast of Taos, red
ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produce ...
north of Taos and yellow ochre on a mountain near
Picuris Pueblo Picuris Pueblo (; Tiwa: P'įwweltha ’ī̃wːēltʰà is a historic pueblo in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) and a federally recognized tribe of Native American Pueblo people. The 2010 ...
. They believe the "heart of the world" is located near Taos. Traditional Jicarilla stories of White Shell Woman, Killer of the Enemies, Child of the Water and others feature places and nearby people special to them, such as the
Rio Grande Gorge The Rio Grande Gorge is a geological feature in northern New Mexico where the watercourse of the Rio Grande follows a tectonic chasm. Beginning near the Colorado border, the approximately gorge runs from northwest to southwest of Taos, New Mexico ...
,
Picuris Pueblo Picuris Pueblo (; Tiwa: P'įwweltha ’ī̃wːēltʰà is a historic pueblo in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) and a federally recognized tribe of Native American Pueblo people. The 2010 ...
, the spring and marsh near El Prado,
Hopewell Lake Hopewell may refer to: Places Barbados *Hopewell, Christ Church *Hopewell, Saint Thomas Canada * Hopewell Parish, New Brunswick * Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick * Hopewell Rocks, a tourist attraction new Hopewell Cape * Hopewell, Newfoundland an ...
and particularly of the
Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking ( Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the olde ...
and the four sacred rivers. The Jicarilla created
shrines A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
in sites that held spiritual meaning, sharing some of the Taos area sites with the Taos Pueblo. Of the connection to Taos, in 1865 Father
Antonio José Martínez Antonio José Martínez (January 17, 1793 – July 27, 1867) was a New Mexican priest, educator, publisher, rancher, farmer, community leader, and politician. He lived through and influenced three distinct periods of New Mexico's his ...
, a New Mexican priest, commented that the Jicarilla had a long history living between the mountains and the villages and making pottery as an important source of income. Clay for the pottery came from the Taos and Picuris Pueblo areas.


Pressures for Jicarilla Apache land

Due to increase in other populations,
Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special virtues of the American people and th ...
, and Indian Wars, the Apaches' traditional cultural and economic lifestyle became strained. Many people died due to famine, Indian Wars, including the Battle of Cieneguilla and diseases not indigenous to the American continent for which they had no resistance. When the Comanche, who had obtained guns from the French, with their close allies and kin, the Ute, were pushing out onto the plains, they were pillaging the various eastern Apache peoples (Jicarilla,
Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south- ...
and Lipan) occupying the southern plains for control. As they were pushed off the plain, the Jicarilla moved to the mountains and near the pueblos and Spanish
missions Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
where they sought alliance with the Puebloan peoples and the Spanish settlers. For instance, in 1724 several Apache bands were annihilated by the Comanches who forced them to "give up half their women and children, and then they burned several villages, killing all but sixty-nine men, two women, and three boys." The Jicarillas were forced to seek a refuge into the eastern
Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains ( Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South ...
north of the
Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking ( Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the olde ...
in New Mexico. Some chose to move to the Pecos Pueblo in New Mexico or joined the
Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south- ...
and Lipan bands in Texas. In 1779 a combined force of Jicarilla, Ute, Pueblo, and Spanish soldiers defeated the Comanche, who, after another seven years and several more military campaigns, finally sued for peace. Thereafter the Jicarilla were able to reestablish themselves in their old tribal territory in southern Colorado.


Ollero and Llanero bands

The geography of the Jicarilla tribal territory consists of two fundamental environments which helped shape the basic social organization of the Tribe into two bands: the ''Llaneros'', or plains people, and the ''Olleros'', or mountain valley people.Griffin-Pierce, 380.Goddard, 8.Hook, Pegler, 116. Beginning in the 19th century, after being pushed out of the plains, the Jicarilla split into two bands: * The ''Olleros'', the
mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...
-
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and po ...
making clan, a.k.a. ''Northern Jicarilla'', lived west of the Rio Grande along the Chama River of New Mexico and Colorado, settled down as farmers, became potters and lived partly in
Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
-like villages (6 local groups). They began subsidizing their livelihood through sales of
mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...
ceous clay pottery and basketry and learned to farm from their
Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
neighbors. Ollero is Spanish for "potters". Their autonym, or name for themselves, is ''Saidindê'' for "Sand People" or "Mountain People" or "Mountain Dwellers"; The Spanish rendering is ''Hoyeros'' meaning "mountain-valley people".Griffin-Pierce, 380.Goddard, 8.Hook, Pegler, 116. The
Capote Band of Utes The Southern Ute Indian Reservation (Ute dialect: Kapuuta-wa Moghwachi Núuchi-u) is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in southwestern Colorado near the northern New Mexico state line. Its ter ...
(''Kapota'', ''Kahpota''), living east of the Great Divide south of the Conejos River and east of the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...
west towards the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains ( Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South ...
, in the San Luis Valley, along the headwaters of the Rio Grande and along the
Animas River Animas River (''On-e-mas''; es, Río de las Ánimas) is a river in the western United States, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System. The Animas-La Plata Water Project was completed in 2015. The project pumps w ...
, centering in the vicinity of today Chama and Tierra Amarilla of Rio Arriba County, joined in an alliance with the Olleros (like the Muache with the Llaneros) against the Southern Plains Tribes like the Comanche and Kiowa (their former allies) and Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne and maintained trade relations to Puebloan peoples * The ''Llaneros'', the plains people clan, a.k.a. ''Eastern Jicarilla'', lived as
nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
in tipis, called ''kozhan'' by the Jicarilla, followed and hunted buffalo on the plains east of the Rio Grande centering along the headwaters of the Canadian River. During the winter they lived in the mountains between the Canadian River and the Rio Grande, camped and traded near
Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico Picuris Pueblo (; Tiwa: P'įwweltha ’ī̃wːēltʰà is a historic pueblo in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) and a federally recognized tribe of Native American Pueblo people. The 2010 c ...
, Pecos, New Mexico and Taos, New Mexico (8 local groups). Their autonym, or name for themselves, is ''Gulgahén'' for "Plains People"; the Spanish picked it up as ''Llaneros'' - "Plains Dwellers".Goddard, 349-350.


Battle of Cieneguilla

The Battle of Cieneguilla (pronounced sienna-GEE-ya; English: small swamp) was an engagement of a group of Jicarilla Apaches, their Ute allies, and the American 1st Cavalry Regiment on March 30, 1854 near what is now Pilar, New Mexico.


Background

By the mid-1800s tensions between the Spanish, multiple Native American nations and westward expanding
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
settlers erupted as all sought and laid claim to land in the southwest. Diseases to which Native Americans had no immunity "decimated" their tribes, creating greater pressure for their lands to be taken from them. As tensions of Native Americans grew and numerous attempts to relocate them from their traditional hunting and gathering land and sacred homelands, the Jicarilla became increasingly hostile in their efforts to protect their lands.Oliva. The United States military developed a defense system of forts and troops to restrict attacks on westward travelers. Fort Union was established, in part, to provide protection from the Jicarillas. The disruption and "mutual incomprehensions" of one another's culture led to warfare among the Spanish, Native American nations and Americans.Oliva. Leo E. Oliva, author of ''Fort Union and the Frontier Army in the Southwest'', notes that: "The three cultural groups in the Southwest had different concepts of family life, personal values, social relations, religion, uses and ownership of land and other property, how best to obtain the provisions of life, and warfare." Fort Union was established by Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner who ordered Major James Henry Carleton's Company K 1st Dragoons on August 2, 1851 to protect of westward travelers between
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and New Mexico Territory on the Santa Fe Trail. New Mexico Territory's Governor William Carr Lane made treaties with the Jicarilla and other Native American tribes of New Mexico to relocate to reservations and peacefully take up agriculture on new lands and in agreed for payments to recompense for loss of access to their hunting, gathering and sacred homeland. The United States government, however, pulled the funding for this agreement, betraying the Native American tribal members. Further complicating the situation, all the crops planted by the tribal members failed and the people continued raiding for survival.


Battle and aftermath

In March 1854
Lobo Blanco Lobo Blanco or White Wolf was a Jicarilla Apache chief of the band that, with 30 warriors, raided the horse herd of the Second Regiment of Dragoons at Fort Union, and, reached up near the Canadian River, was defeated by Lieutenant Bell's Drago ...
, a Jicarilla chief, led a band of 30 warriors to raid the horse herd of a contractor for Fort Union; a detachment of 2nd U.S. Dragoons, led by Lieutenant David Bell, pursued the raiders, engaging a fight on the Canadian River and killing many of them, including the chief, who was repeatedly wounded and finally killed by crushing him under a boulder (March 4). In late March, Maj. George A. Blake, commanding officer at Burgwin Cantonment, sent a detachment of 1st U.S. Dragoon of 60 men (company I and part of company F) to patrol along the Santa Fe trail, and on March 30, 1854, a combined force of about 250 Apaches and Utes fought the U.S. dragoons, led by Lieutenant
John Wynn Davidson John Wynn Davidson (August 14, 1825 – June 26, 1881) was a brigadier general in the United States Army during the American Civil War and an American Indian fighter. In 1866, he received brevet grade appointments as a major general of voluntee ...
, near Pilar, New Mexico, then known as Cieneguilla. The battle lasted for 2,Gorenfeld, Will. or 4 hours according to surviving soldier James A. Bennett (aka James Bronson). The Jicarilla, led by their principal chief,
Francisco Chacon Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...
, and
Flechas Rayadas Flechas Rayadas or Striped Arrows was a Jicarilla Apache chief of the band that, together with Francisco Chacon's warriors, defeated Lieutenant Davidson's detachment of 60 men from the First Regiment of Dragoons in the Battle of Cieneguilla The ...
, fought with flintlock rifles and
arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...
s, killing 22 and a wounding another 36 of 60 dragoon soldiers, who then retreated to Ranchos de Taos lighter by 22 horses and most of the troops' supplies.Haley, James L. Lieutenant Colonel Philip St. George Cooke of the 2nd Dragoons Regiment at once organized an expedition to pursue the Jicarilla. With the help of 32 Pueblo Indian and Mexican scouts under Captain James H. Quinn, with Kit Carson as the principal guide. After a winter pursuit through the mountains, Cooke caught up with the Jicarilla, whose leader, Flechas Rayadas offered an agreement for peace in exchange for the horses and guns the Jicarilla acquired from the Battle, but the arrangement was not accepted. On April 8, Cooke Chief fought tribal members at their camp in the canyon of Ojo Caliente. Dispersing in small bands, the Jicarilla evaded further pursuit, but many died from the harsh cold weather. A large unit under Maj. James H. Carleton fought again the Jicarillas near Fisher's Peak, in the Raton Mountains, killing several Jicarillas, and Francisco Chacon replied by trying an ambush against the soldiers with 150 warriors, but the Jicarillas were bypassed: five warriors were killed and six wounded, and seventeen among women and children were scattered and probably died of cold and hunger during the flight. In May, Francisco Chacon sent word to Santa Fe for peace and surrendered at Abiquiu.


Jicarilla reservation

Following westward expansion of the United States and the resulting impacts to their livelihoods, attempts began in the mid-1850s to relocate the Jicarilla Apache, who became increasingly hostile to these pressures. In addition, relations with the Spanish also became hostile when the Spanish captured and sold Apache tribal members into slavery. After years of warfare, broken treaties, relocation and being the only southwestern tribe without a reservation, the two Jicarilla Llanero and Ollero bands united in 1873 and sent a delegation to Washington, D.C. to appeal for a
reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...
. Eventually United States President
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
created the Jicarilla Apache Reservation through a United States
executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of ...
signed on February 11, 1887. Although they had finally obtained a reservation, it was spiritually disheartening to realize that they would no longer roam on their traditional holy lands and have access to the sacred places. Once settled, they occupied separate areas of the Reservation. The animosities stemming from this period have persisted into the twentieth century, with the Olleros usually identified as progressives and the Llaneros as conservatives. The land on the reservation, except that held by non-tribal members, was not suitable for
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
. As a means of survival, timber from the reservation was sold. In 1907 additional land was secured for the reservation, for a total of , that was suitable for sheep ranching which became profitable in the 1920s. Until that time, many people suffered from
malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
and up to 90% of the tribe members had
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
in 1914; By the 1920s it seemed likely that the Jicarilla Apache nation may become extinct due to
trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...
, tuberculosis, and other diseases. After several difficult ranching periods, many of the previous sheep herders relocated to the tribal headquarters in Dulce, New Mexico. The Jicarilla suffered due to lack of economic opportunities for decades.Pritzker, 13.Griffin-Pierce, 381. Oil and gas development began on the reservation after World War II resulting in up to $1 million annually, some of which was set aside for a tribal
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
fund and to develop the Stone Lake Lodge facility. In 1982, the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
ruled in '' Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe'', that the tribe had the authority to impose severance taxes on oil companies that were drilling for oil and natural gas on reservation land. As a means of repayment for lost tribal lands, the Jicarilla received a settlement in 1971 for $9.15 million. The Jicarilla Apache made a claim for compensation to the U.S. Government when the Indian Claims Commission was created. A two-volume technical report was submitted to the Commission on Spanish and Mexican grants, both unconfirmed and confirmed as part of the case. The tribe was awarded $9,150,000 in the Commission's final judgment of April 20, 1971. In 2019, the census showed that there were 3,353 people living on the reservation. A site for New Mexico states that there are about "2,755 tribal members, most of whom live in the town of Dulce."


Tribal government

The Jicarilla Apache are a federally recognized tribal entity who in 1937 organized a formal government and adopted a
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...
. Traditional tribal leaders were elected as their first tribal council members. In 2000 the tribe officially changed their name to the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Veronica E. Velarde Tiller, author of ''Culture and Customs of the Apache Indians'' writes: "All the powers of the tribal governments reflected the traditional values of the Apache people. The protection, preservation, and conservation of the bounty of 'Mother Earth', and all its inhabitants is sacred value shared by all Indian people, and the Apaches were most eager to have this concept incorporated into their tribal constitution."Velarde Tiller, 122. An important value of sharing was integrated into the constitution, whereby the Apache Indians declare that the resources of the reservation are "held for the benefit of the entire tribe". Further, all land on the reservation is held by the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, one of only two reservations in the United States where land is not owned by individuals but by the tribal nation as a whole. Tribal members are individuals that are at least 3/8 Jicarilla Apache. The government is made up of the following branches: * executive, with a president and vice-president serving four-year terms *
legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
, with eight members serving staggering four-year terms *
judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, tribal
court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and carry out the administration of justice in Civil law (common law), civil, C ...
and
appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
judges assigned by the president. Its capital is Dulce, which comprises over 95 percent of the reservation's population, near the extreme north end. Most tribal offices are located in Dulce.


Reservation

The Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation, at , is located within two northern
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
counties: * Rio Arriba County * Sandoval County. from the Colorado border south to Cuba, New Mexico. The reservation sits along U.S. Route 64 and N.M. 537.King, PT232. The reservation has a land area of 1,364.046 sq mi (3,532.864 km²) and had a population of 2,755 as of the 2000 census. The southern half of the reservation is open plains and the northern portion resides in the treed Rocky Mountains. Mammals and birds migratory paths cross the reservation seasonally, including mountain lion, black bear, elk, Canada geese and turkey. Rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout are stocked in seven lakes on the reservation, but annual conditions such as low precipitation result in high pH-levels. From 1995 to 2000 the lake levels were severely low due to
drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
; As a result, most of the fish were killed off during those years. The reservation sits on the San Juan Basin, which is rich in fossil fuels. The basin is the largest producer of oil along the
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
and the second largest producer of
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon ...
in the United States.


Culture

The Jicarilla are traditionally matrilocal and are organized into
matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...
clans. They have incorporated some practices of their
Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
neighbors into their own traditions. They are renowned for their fine basket making of distinctive diamond, cross or zig-zag designs or representations of deer, horses or other animals. They are known for their beadwork and keeping Apache fiddle-making alive.Pritzker, 14. As of 2000, about 70% of the tribe practice an organized religion, many of whom are
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. Jicarilla is spoken by about one half of the tribal members, most by older men and women.Pritzker, 15. Ceremonial practices consist of: * Puberty feast, called "keesta" in Jicarilla, is a
rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...
ceremony for girls or young women. Annual events include: * Little Beaver Celebration with a pow-wow, rodeo, draft horse pull and a five-mile race mid-July. * Stone Lake Fiesta with ceremonial dances, rodeo and
footraces Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
each September 14 and 15.


Economy

The Jicarilla Apache Nation's economy is based upon
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
,
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
, gaming,
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
,
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and th ...
and
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
,Warren, Tiller, 11. including: * Oil and gas wells, owned and operated by the tribe.Warren, Tiller, 10-11. A 50 MW solar farm is being constructed on tribal lands. * Timber. * Cattle and sheep ranching.Warren, Tiller, 12. * Reservation government employees, which include about 50% of tribal members. * Dulce business employees. * Traditional arts, including basketry and pottery. * Tribe-owned
Apache Nugget Casino The Apache Nugget Casino is located 15 miles north of Cuba, New Mexico, at the junctions of highway 550 and highway 537. The casino is operated by the Apache Nugget Corporation (ANC) which oversees all gaming activity for the Jicarilla Apache Na ...
north of Cuba, New Mexico and the Best Western Jicarilla Inn and Casino in Dulce. * The tribe also owns and operates radio station KCIE (90.5 FM) in Dulce, NM. Although the mid twentieth century brought additional economic opportunities, high
unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...
and a low
standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
prevails for tribal members. From the ''Tiller's Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Reservations'', 2005 edition:Velarde Tiller, 82. :
Unemployment rate Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...
– 14.2% :Labor force – 1,1051 The Jicarilla people live in houses with a lifestyle similar to other Americans. The cost of food at local grocery stores is higher than found near larger U.S. cities. They have access to all modern conveniences and avail themselves according to their desires and financial ability. High unemployment and poverty level income rates have resulted in high Crime statistics, crime rates, greatly contributed by a high incidence of [alcohol] abuse, averaging 1.7% of the United States Native American population and as high as 30% in some rural areas or reservations.


Education

Children attend a public school on the reservation. Until the 1960s few children graduated high school; the Bureau of Indian Affairs educational programs and the Chester A. Faris
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
programs from oil and gas revenues since the 1960s provide opportunities for higher education. In the 1970s some tribal members obtained Master's degree, graduate degrees. Educational assistance offices were created by Apache tribes in the 1980s to help students navigate their educational career. Portions of the reservation in Rio Arriba County are zoned to Dulce Independent Schools, Chama Valley Independent Schools, and Jemez Mountain Public Schools. Portions of the reservation in Sandoval County are zoned to Cuba Independent Schools.


Notable people

*
Francisco Chacon Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...
, 19th century chief, leader of the Jicarilla uprising in 1854 *
Flechas Rayadas Flechas Rayadas or Striped Arrows was a Jicarilla Apache chief of the band that, together with Francisco Chacon's warriors, defeated Lieutenant Davidson's detachment of 60 men from the First Regiment of Dragoons in the Battle of Cieneguilla The ...
, 19th century chief, involved in the Jicarilla uprising of 1854 *
Lobo Blanco Lobo Blanco or White Wolf was a Jicarilla Apache chief of the band that, with 30 warriors, raided the horse herd of the Second Regiment of Dragoons at Fort Union, and, reached up near the Canadian River, was defeated by Lieutenant Bell's Drago ...
, 19th century chief killed in 1854 * Viola Cordova (born 1937), philosopher * Tammie Allen (born 1964), potter


See also

* Jicarilla language * Battle of Cieneguilla * Dulce Base * KCIE (FM) * List of Indian reservations in the United States *
Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south- ...
* Morris Edward Opler, ethnographer who wrote about the Jicarilla * ''A Gunfight'', 1971 film financed by the Jicarilla Apache tribe


Notes


References

;General * Brooks, Clinton E.; Reeve, Frank D.; Bennett, James A. (1996). Forts and Forays: James A. Bennett, A Dragoon in New Mexico, 1850—1856. University of New Mexico Press. . * Cassells, E. Steve. (1997). ''The Archeology of Colorado'', Revised Edition. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Books. . * Carlisle, Jeffrey D. (May 2001)
"Spanish Relations with the Apache Nations east of the Rio Grande"
University of North Texas. * Carter, Harvey Lewis. (1990
''"Dear Old Kit": The Historical Christopher Carson''
University of Oklahoma Press. . * Davidson, Homer K. (1974). Black Jack Davidson, A Cavalry Commander on the Western Frontier: The Life of General John W. Davidson. A. H. Clark Co. Page 72. . * Eiselt, B. Sunday. (2009) ''The Jicarilla Apaches and the Archaeology of the Taos Region''. Between the Mountains – Beyond the Mountains. Papers of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico Vol. 35, Albuquerque. * Gibbon, Guy E.; Ames, Kenneth M. (1998
''Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia''.
. * Goddard, Pliny E. (1911)
''Jicarilla Apache texts''
Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History (Vol. 8). New York: The American Museum of Natural History. * Gorenfeld, Will. (Feb, 2008). "The Battle of Cieneguilla." ''Wild West magazine.'' * Greenwald, Emily. (2002). ''Reconfiguring the reservation: The Nez Perces, Jicarilla Apache and the Dawes Act.'' University of New Mexico Press. . * Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. (2000)
''Native Peoples of the Southwest''
University of New Mexico Press. . * Hook, Jason; Pegler, Martin. (2001)
''To Love and Die in the West: the American Indian Wars, 1860-90''.
Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. . * Kessel, William B.; Wooster, Robert. (ed.) (2005). ''Encyclopedia of Native American Wars and Warfare''. New York: Facts on File. . * King, Lesley S. (2011)
''Frommer's New Mexico''
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing. . * Martin, Craig. (ed.) (2002)
''Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico''.
University of New Mexico Press. . * Oliva, Leo E. (1993

National Park Service Online Books. * Pritzker, Barry M. (2000)
''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. . * Rajtar, Steve. (1999) ''Indian War Sites: A Guidebook to Battlefields, Monuments, and Memorials.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. * Velarde Tiller, Veronica E. (2011) ''Culture and Customs of the Apache Indians''. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood of ABC-CLIO. . * Warren, Nancy Hunter; Velarde Tiller, Veronica E. (2006)
''The Jicarilla Apache: A Portrait.''
University of New Mexico Press. .


Further reading

* Opler, Morris. (1941). A Jicarilla expedition and scalp dance. (Narrated by Alasco Tisnado). * Opler, Morris. (1942). ''Myths and tales of the Jicarilla Apache Indians''. * Opler, Morris. (1947). Mythology and folk belief in the maintenance of Jicarilla Apache tribal endogamy. * Phone, Wilma; & Torivio, Patricia. (1981). ''Jicarilla mizaa medaóołkai dáłáéé''. Albuquerque: Native American Materials Development Center. * Phone, Wilhelmina; Olson, Maureen; & Martinez, Matilda. (2007). ''Dictionary of Jicarilla Apache: Abáachi Mizaa Iłkee' Siijai''. Axelrod, Melissa; Gómez de García, Jule; Lachler, Jordan; & Sean M. Burke, Burke, Sean M. (Eds.). UNM Press. . * Tuttle, Siri G.; & Sandoval, Merton. (2002). Jicarilla Apache. ''Journal of the International Phonetic Association'', ''32'', 105-112. * Wilson, Alan, & Vigil Martine, Rita. (1996). ''Apache (Jicarilla)''. Guilford, CT: Audio-Forum. . (Includes book and cassette recording).


External links


Jicarilla Apache Nation website

Jicarilla Apache Culture
(Jicarilla Apache Cultural Affairs Office)



(University of Virginia Electronic Text Center)

(University of Virginia Electronic Text Center)

(University of Virginia Electronic Text Center)
Jicarilla Texts
(Internet Sacred Text Archive)
Jicarilla Apache Nation
(New Mexico Magazine)
Jicarilla Apache Nation History
(Apache Nugget Corporation)
Jicarilla Apache Pottery/Walking Spirit Pottery
(Sample of Micaceous Clay Pottery)
Jicarilla Apache Oil and Gas Administration
(Jicarilla Natural Resources)
Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish
(Jicarilla Hunting and Wildlife) {{authority control Jicarilla Apache, * Apache tribes Federally recognized tribes in the United States Native American tribes in Colorado Native American tribes in New Mexico Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area