What do the Apache Crown Dancers represent?
The Crown Dancers are the Ga’an, or mountain spirits. Apaches believe that Usen, the Creator, sent the Ga’an to the Apache to teach them to live in harmony. There are five Crown Dancers, four masked dancers representing the directions of north, south, east, and west.
What is the Apache fire dance?
Lay it on the fire, put more wood on the fire and heat the water until the pouch bursts. “While the fire is heating, blind man, put the crippled one on your shoulders. As soon as the pouch bursts, jump over the fire.
What is the Apache cross?
This American Indian cross is an authentic Native American handcraft made by a Mescalero Apache Indian artist. For Native American history and culture these crosses represent the impact that the Spaniards had on the Tribes of the southwest.
What traditions do the Apache tribe have?
One of the most traditional and sacred ceremonies practiced by the Mescalero Apache is the puberty rite ceremony. It is a four-day “Rite of Passage,” a ceremony that marks the transition of an individual from one stage of life to another, from girlhood to womanhood.
What is a sunrise dance?
The Apache Sunrise Dance is a four-day female coming-of-age ceremony, in which a girl temporarily becomes Changing Woman, the first lady and mother of her people. It is a significant and highly spiritual event for both the girl and the entire Apache community.
What is a spirit dancer?
“Spirit dancing” is the name given to the winter dances which were a major feature of the ceremonial life of the Coast Salish. Among these were the special relationship of the dancer and a supernatural being, the idea of a definite ceremonial season, and the concept of a secret society composed of spirit dancers.
What food did the Apache eat?
The Apache ate a wide variety of food, but their main staple was corn, also called maize, and meat from the buffalo. They also gathered food such as berries and acorns. Another traditional food was roasted agave, which was roasted for many days in a pit. Some Apaches hunted other animals like deer and rabbits.