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The Cibecue Apache
Cultural anthropologist Keith H. Basso (1940–2013) was noted for his long-term research of the Western Apaches, specifically those from the modern community of Cibecue, Arizona, the site of his ethnographic and linguistic research for fifty-four years. One of his earliest works, The Cibecue Apache, has now been read by generations of students. It captures the true character of Apache culture not only because of its objective analyses and descriptions but also because of the author's belief in allowing the people to speak for themselves. Basso learned their language, became a trusted friend and intimate, and returned to the field often to gather data, participate, and observe. Basso's goal in this now-classic work is to describe Cibecue Apache perceptions, experiences, conflicts, and indecision. A primary aim is to depict portions of the Western Apache belief system, especially those dealing with the supernatural. Emphasis is also given to the girls' puberty ceremony, its meaning and functions, as well as modern Apache economic and political life. Brief Table of Pronunciation Guide 1. Pre-Reservation Western Apache Society 2. Post-Reservation Western Apache Society 3. The Realm of Power 4. Curing Ceremonials 5. The Girls' Puberty Ceremony 6. Witchcraft 7. Missionaries Glossary Titles of related interest also from Waveland Farrer, Thunder Rides a Black Mescalero Apaches and the Mythic Present, Third Edition (ISBN 9781577666998) and Hultkrantz, Native Religions of North The Power of Visions and Fertility (ISBN 9780881339857).
- GenresAnthropologyNonfiction
Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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April 27, 2021
Having learned a great deal from Basso’s Wisdom Sits in Places a few months ago I was pleased to learn that this one is readily available via the Internet Archive.
In the preface the author estimated that he wrote this book based on his having lived with the Cibecue Western Apache for about 2 years in total out of the previous 10. This familiarity with the culture and social structure of the residents of this settlement plus his apparent fluency with their language allowed him to write this excellent ethnographic study of barely 100 pages in length.
The chapters are organized into sections and subsections in which he carefully and thoroughly discussed a range of topics. The first two dealt with the social structure and relations of those living in the Cibecue settlement before and after the larger Fort Apache reservation was developed in the 1870’s. The following five chapters covered the realm of power, the meanings and uses of curing ceremonials, the girl’s puberty ceremony, witchcraft, and missionaries.
The author provided a pronunciation guide, charts, and a glossary of Western Apache vocabulary in the first two chapters. Despite all of this they are extremely dense. Ie, he tried to communicate a lot of complex information in a relatively few number of pages. Perhaps if he had broken these chapters up into 3-4 smaller ones with more examples of what he was trying to explain it would have made the information easier to assimilate.
Fortunately, the remaining five chapters were more readily readable. They were filled with examples, lengthy quotes, and/or stories which amply illustrated the points being made in the narrative. In these five chapters I was able to grasp a very clear sense of how the Cibecue’s social lives and spiritual beliefs interacted with each other in the 1960’s in a fascinating way. The last chapter on missionaries provided a brief history of Christianity’s introduction to the residents of Cibecue. This was followed by a thoughtful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages this alien belief system had for them.
Given the deficits that I experienced in the first two chapters I do not feel I can give TCA more than 4 stars. I still recommend it, however, for those with an interest in Native American culture and spirituality. It is unfortunate that Basso never wrote a follow up to this book. It could have been extremely interesting and instructive to see how much of these beliefs and practices the Cibecue had sustained in 1990, for example.
In the preface the author estimated that he wrote this book based on his having lived with the Cibecue Western Apache for about 2 years in total out of the previous 10. This familiarity with the culture and social structure of the residents of this settlement plus his apparent fluency with their language allowed him to write this excellent ethnographic study of barely 100 pages in length.
The chapters are organized into sections and subsections in which he carefully and thoroughly discussed a range of topics. The first two dealt with the social structure and relations of those living in the Cibecue settlement before and after the larger Fort Apache reservation was developed in the 1870’s. The following five chapters covered the realm of power, the meanings and uses of curing ceremonials, the girl’s puberty ceremony, witchcraft, and missionaries.
The author provided a pronunciation guide, charts, and a glossary of Western Apache vocabulary in the first two chapters. Despite all of this they are extremely dense. Ie, he tried to communicate a lot of complex information in a relatively few number of pages. Perhaps if he had broken these chapters up into 3-4 smaller ones with more examples of what he was trying to explain it would have made the information easier to assimilate.
Fortunately, the remaining five chapters were more readily readable. They were filled with examples, lengthy quotes, and/or stories which amply illustrated the points being made in the narrative. In these five chapters I was able to grasp a very clear sense of how the Cibecue’s social lives and spiritual beliefs interacted with each other in the 1960’s in a fascinating way. The last chapter on missionaries provided a brief history of Christianity’s introduction to the residents of Cibecue. This was followed by a thoughtful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages this alien belief system had for them.
Given the deficits that I experienced in the first two chapters I do not feel I can give TCA more than 4 stars. I still recommend it, however, for those with an interest in Native American culture and spirituality. It is unfortunate that Basso never wrote a follow up to this book. It could have been extremely interesting and instructive to see how much of these beliefs and practices the Cibecue had sustained in 1990, for example.
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