Running head: APACHE INDIAN 1

Apache Indian: A Native American Story

Nicole Griffin

Arizona State University

OGL 350

February 4, 2023
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I had the privilege and honor of interviewing Frank Tenijieth, a proud unapologetic

Native American Apache Indian with a history and legacy that go back thousands of years. His

clan, as he refers them as, are a people rich in tradition and culture. He takes pride in following

the ancestors that came before him. When asked if I could interview him for a project in my

diversity class, he gladly accepted. He is very open, honest and has a great sense of humor as he

walked me through some of his traditions that date back thousands of years.

I have worked along side Frank for 8 years and cultivated a working friendship, I was

pleased he allowed me to interview him. A middle aged man and proud to show his gray hair, he

gives a hearty chuckle as he explains, his uncle told him the whiter hair that indicates he has

alleviated the burdens of his ancestors, Frank tells me, that he probably has alleviated a lot of

burdens since he has a great number of white hairs sprouting. Frank defines culture as “what you

were taught growing up, your roots based on what your elders taught you and who you are at the

core”. The encyclopedia indicates culture is a set of believes, traditions, customs, ceremonies,

and languages among people (White, 2022) which closely algins with Franks definition. Part of

Franks culture begin with his family, as he defines them, this is who you are born into. Unlike

American tradition, the Apache’s custom is to honor the mothers side of the family first and then

the father’s side. Which they call a “clan”, his dad’s side of the family comes from the Sierra

Madres, his grandpa has Chippewa blood. Family is everything, that’s what you live for, when

his grandma passed he was told he weas the protector of the family, and he is supposed to respect

his elders and continue protecting the family. Men are respected and have a say; however,

women hold the most status. His mom is the foundation of the family as she is the one planted

the tree that continues to water the roots of the family, which is grounded in the soil of the earth.

The women rear the family and take care of the kids, so they are highly regarded. His family is

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very close, however, he never lived with his grandparents or extended family. Growing up, his

grandparents lived next door and his uncle lived down the street, they spent a considerable

amount of time together. The most important meal of the day is dinner, they gather together to

be around one another. The main holiday and traditions that are celebrated consistently are a

young women’s coming of age (Green, 2016). This happens every weekend throughout the year,

they young women are celebrated by everyone, the men do tribal dances, they believe when a

young girl becomes a woman, the ceremony is to remind her that she will get old and wise, it is a

difficult time for her, however, this is a time used to reflect as she gets older that she can and will

overcome any obstacles in her life. This is a time to remind them to be strong in the midst of

difficulty and everyone is there to support her, guide her and protect her as she will be the next

tree to plant her roots in the soil as the mother and grandmother before her. During the

celebration they wear Apache moccasins, head dress and their tribal attire. Men eat first and then

the women. He mainly speaks English here, but when he goes back home he speaks his native

tongue which is Apache, he said it is difficult to teach the kids because they are not growing up

in that environment. His kids are half Navajo and are taught English at school, he does not want

his native tongue to get lost over time. It takes a few hours to get back home to the reservation,

which he does tribal dances heavily during the spring and summer months. The misconception

“about his people is that they are considered savages and that they don’t know God”. He was

raised catholic and has a relationship with God, his family has been part of the reservation for

thousands of years, if they did not know God why would have been here for so long. He said

unlike most families they are able to trace their roots back thousands and thousands of years.

Most of the discrimination he has faced has come from his own family especially his closest

cousin. Often times many races of a less dominate group will be prejudice against their own

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people in an effort to fit into the dominate group which can lead to psychological issues (Henry

A. Willis, 2021). On the reservation the Apache’s are the dominate group but in adjacent towns

and cities around the reservation they are not.

As Frank holds on to his customs and traditions that have been passed from one

generation to the next, he faces discrimination from others but mainly is own kind as he slowly

assimilates into American culture. Frank has a strong sense of Apache pride, but also has

American pride as well, he feels education is important but chose to serve in the military (the

Navy to be specific), when he participates in the traditional tribal dances, he proudly displays the

American flag, he served and fought in war and is highly regarded as a leader in his clan. When

it comes to discrimination, he feels nothing can fix it, it is a choice each person must overcome

within themselves to love others as God has loved us and that would be the only true change.

Even though some regard him as a devil worshiper, he takes pride in participating in tribal

dances, passing on his traditions and legacy to the next generation, others regard him as true

pioneer and leader for standing up for what he believes in without losing himself in the process,

he is respected among the elders and the kids watching him lead and protect his family. He

reminds us to have a sense of humor but also show respect to others, your culture, traditions, and

legacy by being respectful of your elders and which peace on everyone regardless of if they

discriminate against you or not. Frank has a strong sense of culture, and has a desire to learn

about the American culture as well which means that he falls under the “integration” mode of

acculturation (Finley-Nickelson, 1991)

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Works Cited
Finley-Nickelson, T. C. (1991). Models of Acculturation for Intra-organizational Cultural Diversity.
Canadian Journal of Adminstrative Sciences, 90-101.

Green, R. (2016). A 19th Century Apache Puberty Skirt: East Toward Sunrise. ProQuest, 7-11. Retrieved
from https://www.proquest.com/docview/1822064674?accountid=4485

Henry A. Willis, E. E. (2021). The Associations Between Internalized Racism, Racial Identity, and
Psychological Distress. Sage journals, 267-428.

White, L. A. (2022, April 5). Retrieved from Encylopaedia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/culture

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Appendix A

Interview Questions

1. What is your definition of “culture?”

2. What is your cultural and/or ethnic background?

3. How do you define “family?”

4. Did you ever live with your grandparents or extended family?

5. Who holds the most “status” in your family? Why?

6. What is the most important meal of the day?

7. Define and describe the most important (or most celebrated) holiday of your

culture.

8. What kind of fashion, such as clothes, etc. do people wear?

9. How is physical contact viewed in your culture?

10.What would you say is, from your perspective, the most commonly held

misconception about people of your culture?

11.Have you been discriminated against?

12.What can be done about racism and prejudice, in your opinion?