Western Apache - Notable Western Apache

Notable Western Apache

White Mountain Apaches

• Alchesay (aka William Alchesay and Alchisay, May 17, 1853 – Aug.6, 1928, was a chief of the White Mountain Apache and an Apache Scout. He received United States militaries highest decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Apache Wars and the Yavapai Wars. He tried to convince Geronimo to surrender peacefully and remained friends with Geronimo until his death. Became later a prominent stockman, made several trips to Washington D.C., and was active in Indian affairs.)
• Bylas (aka Bailish, chief of the Eastern White Mountain band, for whom the present settlement of Bylas on the San Carlos Reservation is named, this Apache settlement is divided into two communities, one of the White Mountain, the other of San Carlos and Southern Tonto Apache)
• Francisco (chief of the Western White Mountain (or Coyotero) Apache band)
• Esh-kel-dah-sila (Eskiltesela, Esketeshelaw, Haskɛdasila - “He Is Constantly Angry”, Heske-hldasila - “Angry, Right Side Up”, fl. c. 1850-1875, chief of the Nadostusn clan (Nddohots'osn, Ndhodits or Naagodolts'oosri - “slender peak standing up people”) as of the entire Eastern White Mountain Apache band, most respected and prominent Eastern White Mountain Apache chief in history, he maintained alliances with Hopi and Zuni, offered land for the establishment of Camp Apache (later Fort Apache), Pedro and his Carrizo band of Cibecue Apaches got permission from him to settle near later Fort Apache on White Mountain Apache territory, he and his band were generally ill disposed toward Cibecue Apache bands of Miguel, Diablo and Pedro, who had enlisted as Apache Scouts in 1871 and were scouting against “troublemakers” of Esh-kel-dah-sila's band)
• Polone (succeeded in 1873 Esh-kel-dah-sila as chief of the Eastern White Mountain Apache band)
• Jay Tavare, actor (White Mountain Apache and Navajo ancestry)

Cibecue Apache

• Miguel (also known as One-Eyed-Miguel or El Tuerto, Esh-ke-iba, Es-chá´-pa, Es-ca-pa, sometimes called Pin-dah-kiss, ca. ? - †1871, Chief of the dominant local group and clan of the Carrizo band, during the 1850s and 1860s most prominent Carrizo chief, in 1869 Miguel and his younger brother Diablo initiated relations between Americans and the Cibecue and White Mountain Apaches, which led to the establishment of Fort Apache (first as Camp Apache in 1870). He supplied recruits for the first unit of Apache Scouts in 1871, because the Cibecue Apaches were forced to settle near Camp Apache on White Mountain Apache territory in spring 1874, he was killed shortly after during a feud with White Mountain Apaches, after that, Diablo took over leadership from his deceased older brother and avenged his death)
• Diablo (El Diablo - “the Devil”, Es-ki-in-la, Eskiniaw, Esh-ken-la, c. 1846 - †30. Aug.1880, after the death of his older brother Chief Miguel in 1874 during a feud with the White Mountain Apaches, he became the most prominent chief of the Carrizo band, in the fall of 1874 he enlisted as Scout and was promoted to sergeant, in January 1876 he and his band together with other Cibecue Apache bands were forced to move onto the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, only Pedro's band was allowed to stay at Fort Apache - which led to ill feelings towards the latter, therefore Diablo's band attacked on August, 30, 1880 Pedro's band near Fort Apache, which resulted in the killing of Diablo himself, not to be confused with Esh-kel-dah-sila, the most prominent Eastern White Mountain Apache chief at this time)
• Pedro (Hacke-yanil-tli-din, ca. 1835 - †1885, chief of the Tca-tci-dn clan (also Cacidn, Tea-tci-dn or Tsee hachiidn - “red rock strata people”) and local group of the Carrizo band, during a clan dispute in the early 1850s he was driven off the Carrizo Creek by Miguel, was allowed by the great Eastern White Mountain Apache chief Esh-kel-dah-sila after two years to settle near Fort Apache, Pedro's band intermarried with the White Mountain Apaches and were therefore classed as White Mountain Apaches, however they retained close clan ties with the Carrizo band of the Cibecue Apaches, he and his segundo (or war chief) Yclenny together with White Mountain Apache chiefs Alchesay and Petone killed August, 30, 1880 Diablo, (oft mistaken for Esh-kel-dah-sila, the most prominent Eastern White Mountain Apache chief at this time) in selfdefense, in revenge for the death of Diablo he was shot through both knees but survived, only Petone was mortally wounded, was a constant friend of the Americans)
• Petone (son of Pedro, succeeded his father about 1873 as chief of Pedro's Carrizo band of Cibecue Apaches - now generally classed as White Mountain Apaches, he was involved in the murder of the influental Carrizo band chief Diablo on August 30, 1880, half a year later in February 1881 members of Diablo's band would avenge his death. In this battle, Pedro was shot through both knees and Alchesay through the chest, both of them survived, but Petone was mortally wounded)
• Capitán Chiquito (also known as Captain Chiquito, Chief of the Cibecue band, not to be confused with the Pinaleño Apache Chief of the same name)
• Nock-ay-det-klinne (Nakaidoklini, Nakydoklunni - “spotted or freckled Mexican”, called by the Whites Babbyduclone, Barbudeclenny, Bobby-dok-linny and Freckled Mexican Matthews, Chief of the Cañon Creek band and a respected medicine man among his people, held dances and claimed to bring two dead chiefs, the Carrizo band chief Diablo and the Cibecue band chief Es-ki-ol-e to life, fearing an Apache uprising the Army tried to arrest the medicine man which led to the Battle of Cibecue Creek on Aug.30, 1881, after the fighting erupted the Apache scouts mutinied as suspected. The attacking Apaches fought mainly at rifle range, however, when the scouts turned against the soldiers, a brief close range engagement occurred. As the battle ended with a strategic Apache victory, despite their inability to rescue their leader, due to the soldiers retreat. After the battle, the American army buried six soldiers, Nock-ay-det-klinne, his wife, and young son, who was killed while riding into battle on his father's pony. The Cibecue affair touched off a regional Apache uprising, in which the leading men of the Chiricahua bands, such as Naiche (c. 1857-1919), Juh (c. 1825 – Nov. 1883), and Geronimo (June 16, 1829 – Feb.17, 1909), left the reservation and went to war in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. The warfare lasted about two years, ultimately ending in the US defeat of the Apache)
• Ne-big-ja-gy (was also called Ka-clenny and Es-keg-i-slaw, brother and segundo of Nock-ay-det-klinne, the medicine men and chief of the Cañon Creek band, succeeded his brother as chief of the Cañon Creek band)
• Sanchez (Bé-cbiɣo'dn - “Metal Tooth” or “Iron Tooth”, successor of Diablo as Chief of the Carizzo Creek band, whose band of about 250 people lived on Carrizo Creek, twelve miles north of Carrizo Crossing, was closely associated with Nock-ay-det-klinne)

San Carlos Apaches

• Casador (Casadora, Nànt'àntco' - “great chief”, was the main chief of the San Carlos band, before he turned renegade)
• Eskinospas (Eskenaspas, Hàckíná-sbás - “Angry Circular”, called by the Whites Nosy, chief of a local group of the Arivaipa band)
• Santos (Arivaipa Apache Chief, father-in-law of Eskiminzin)
• Eskiminzin (aka Hashkebansiziin, Hàckíbáínzín - "Angry, Men Stand in Line for Him", * 1828 near the Pinal Mountains as a Pinaleño, through marriage into the Arivaipa, he became one of them and later their chief, he and his band together with the Pinaleño band under Capitán Chiquito were attacked by on April 30, 1871 in the Camp Grant Massacre, William S. Oury and Jesús María Elías, which blamed every depredation in southern Arizona on the 500 Camp Grant Apaches, contacted an old ally Francisco Galerita, leader of the Tohono O'odham at San Xavier to punish them, 144 Apaches were killed and mutilated by Tohono O'odham (all but eight were women and children) and 27 children were sold into slavery in Mexico by the Tohono O'odham and the Mexicans themselves, † 1894 on the San Carlos Reservation)
• Capitán Chiquito (Chief of the Pinaleño band, became together with the Arivaipa Chief Eskiminzin victim of the Camp Grant Massacre by Mexicans and their Tohono O'odham-allies, after the massacre the surviving Arivaipa and Pinaleño bands fled north to their Tonto Apache and Yavapai allies, together they raiding and fought the Americans until into 1875 with its culmination in General George Crook's Tonto Basin Campaign of 1872 and 1873)
• Talkalai (Talkali, *1817 - †Mar. 4, 1930, Miami, Chief of the Apache Peaks band, served as Chief of Scouts for three different United States Army Generals, Crook, Miles, and Howard. In April 1887 he was the leader of the scouts that marched 400 miles into Mexico and captured Geronimo. He once saved the life of his good friend John Clum, first Indian Agent at San Carlos Indian reservation, by shooting his own brother. This act so inflamed some of his band members, that he was forced to flee the reservation and move into the town of Miami, Arizona. He was also a friend of the Earps in Tombstone and had been a guest of President Cleveland in the White House)
• Michael Minjarez, actor & Apache dialect supervisor

Tonto Apaches

Further information: Tonto Apache people#Chiefs of the Tonto Apache