Apache Legends & Lore of Southern New Mexico: From the Sacred Mountain

by Lynda A. Sanchez

Overview

Storytelling has been a vital and vivid tradition in Apache life. Coyote tales, the creation legend and stories of historic battles with Comanche and Anglo intruders create a colorful mosaic of tribal heritage. Percy Bigmouth, a prominent oral historian of the Mescalero and Lipan Apache tribes, realized in the early twentieth century that the old ways were waning. He wrote in longhand what he had learned from his father, Scout Bigmouth, a prison camp survivor at Fort Sumner and participant in the turbulent Apache Wars. Join author Lynda Sanchez as she brings to light the ancient legends and lore of the Apaches living in the shadow of Mescalero's Sacred Mountain. Seventy-five years in the making, this collection is a loving tribute to a way of life nearly lost to history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625850386
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	American Heritage
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	211
Sales rank:	302,090
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Lynda A. Sanchez has called historic Lincoln County, New Mexico, her home for more than four decades. She served in the Peace Corps in South America and participated in archaeological field work in Colorado as well as Sonora, Mexico and Belize. Her books include "Fort Stanton: Legacy of Honor, Tradition of Healing," "Eve Ball: Woman Among Men," "Indeh: An Apache Odyssey" and "Capture the Past for New Mexico's Future." She is a past president of the Lincoln County Historical Society and is the recipient of numerous awards related to writing history and historic preservation work including a "cavalry sword" for work on preserving Fort Stanton and True West's 2007 Best Preservation Project in the Nation award. The Historical Society of New Mexico honored her in 2008 with their prestigious L. Bradford Prince Award. Ms. Sanchez has also been an advocate for our Veterans' Legacy. Mary M. Serna is the director/administrator of the St. Joseph Apache Mission Restoration Project at Mescalero, New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mary M. Serna 9

Acknowledgements 11

Introduction: Coming Full Circle 13

Part I In the Shadow of the sacred Mountain

1 History and Traditions of the Apache 23

2 The Legacy of Scout Bigmouth (1855-1958) 48

3 Percy Bigmouth's Gifts (1891-1959) 65

4 The Coveted Haven 77

Part II "I Kept It in My Sleeves" (as told by Percy Bigmouth and Eve Ball)

5 The Legend of Creation 95

6 Its Strings Are Made of Rainbows: The Apache Cradleboard Ceremony 101

7 Classic Animal Stories and Antics 109

8 Old Coyote (the Trickster) Tales 117

9 Of Doves and Old Brown Turkey 131

10 Legends of Caves and Bats 138

Part III On the War Trail

11 Of Raiding and War 161

12 Enemy People (Comanches) 166

13 The Return of the Captives 172

14 The Battle of Coyote Mountain: Victory and Bitter Defeat 178

15 Apache Vengeance: Gold, Silver and a Pueblo's Demise 187

16 Conclusion: Crossing Over the Bridge 193

Notes 199

Bibliography 203

About the Author 207