article

Jicarilla Apache Territory, Economy, and Society in 1850

Southwestern journal of anthropology27Published In 1971 • Pages: 309-329

By: Opler, Morris Edward.

Abstract
This source presents a brief ethnographic study of the Jicarilla Apache as they existed around 1850 -- the time when United States’ political control over the tribe was established. Based on published sources plus the data from his own field work, Opler traces the approximate range of the Jicarilla at this time and describes how the major social units -- the two bands (eastern and western) as well as the many local groups -- functioned within this area. The relationship between land use (e.g., hunting, fishing, gathering, agriculture) and population distribution in the region is then discussed with a particular focus on agricultural practices. An explanation of why there is little information on Jicarilla agriculture in the literature and how that contributes to many misconceptions regarding their economic and social life is offered by the author as: '...military pressures, in part stimulated by the American westward advance, which disrupted Jicarilla culture even before United States political control was established'.
Subjects
Hunting and trapping
Preservation and storage of food
Agriculture
Settlement patterns
Community structure
Ethnogeography
culture
Jicarilla Apache
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1985
Field Date
1934-1935
Coverage Date
1850
Coverage Place
Southwestern United States
Notes
Morris E. Opler
Includes bibliographical references (p. 328-329)
LCCN
47005758
LCSH
Jicarilla Indians