Apache Categories: A Comparison

A Comparison of Navaho and White Mountain Apache Ceremonial Forms and Categories

Goodwin, G. (1945). A Comparison of Navaho and White Mountain Apache Ceremonial Forms and Categories. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 1(4), 498-506. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3628795

While this article focuses on comparing Navaho and White Mountain Apache ceremonial forms, the author, Grenville Goodwin, offers extensive details about religious rituals of east-central Arizona's Apache division. In his analysis, Goodwin explains that there are a number of religious ceremonies performed in the White Mountain Apache division, which deal with various situations. Goodwin explains that most Apache religious ceremonies include supernatural

(2002). "People Speaking Silently to Themselves": An Examination of Keith Basso's Philosophical Speculations on "Sense of Place" in Apache Cultures. American Indian Quarterly, 26(3), 460-478. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4128494

In this article, Martin Ball examines Keith Basso's speculations on "sense of place" in Apache culture, as Martin Ball believes Keith Basso's philosophical framework was superimposed and that he did not have a full understanding of the subject or the culture. Additionally, in this article, Ball details the importance of understanding Apache sacred places, along with how they play a role in continuation and development of their culture. Ball explains that the religious ceremonies of the Apache's are intimately connected to physical locations, as they coincide with spiritual encounters, dreams, and visions. Likewise, certain spiritual revelations are also connected to very specific locations and different types of physical landscapes. Ball also reveals the connection between spiritual experiences/relationship and the physical world, which implies that this connection is dominant in Apache

Opler describes the concept of dual compensation for shaman services. The materials relating to ceremonial payment vary depending on the purpose and the type of ceremony being performed. Ople explains that there are two forms of compensation given to the shaman. The first, which must include tobacco and either an eagle feather or a black cloth (such as a handkerchief), along with two other items, are the initial fee. As Opler details, these four gifts of initial payment are non-utilitarian and must represent four major elements of earth; something from the sky, water, earth, and animal. Opler then defines “appreciation,” which is the later payment and serves to support a persons level of seriousness toward the ceremony. This type of compensation is comprised of items that serve as useful for the shaman, such as groceries or objects of use in day-to-day life. A person must also provide compensation to the “supernatural power,” which should be an important personal object. Opler explains that this allows the supernatural power to sanctify the object, thus providing good luck to the