The Apache (/əˈpætʃi/) are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern

United States, which include

the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Salinero, Plains and Western Apache. Distant cousins of
the Apache are the Navajo, with which they share the Southern Athabaskan languages. There are
Apache communities in Oklahoma, Texas, and reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Apache
people have moved throughout the United States and elsewhere, including urban centers. The
Apache Nations are politically autonomous, speak several different languages and have distinct
cultures.
Historically, the Apache homelands have consisted of high mountains, sheltered and watered
valleys, deep canyons, deserts, and the southern Great Plains, including areas in what is now
Eastern Arizona, Northern Mexico (Sonora and Chihuahua) and New Mexico, West Texas, and
Southern Colorado. These areas are collectively known as Apacheria. The Apache tribes fought the
invading Spanish and Mexican peoples for centuries. The first Apache raids on Sonoraappear to
have taken place during the late 17th century. In 19th-century confrontations during the American-
Indian wars, the U.S. Army found the Apache to be fierce warriors and skillful strategists.