Apache Politics
Historians believe that the Apaches came to Southwest America sometime between 1000 and 1400 C.E. The Apache tribe was broken up into many smaller tribes. The basic unit for the Apache was extended family. These family groups acted completely independent of one another. Extended families stayed together in a group and were led by the most important member of their family. That leader was the chief advisor and took care of the entire group's affairs. Many groups of extended families lived near each other so that they could unite for social, religious, and military purposes. They would decide on a band leader for the combined group whenever they met up.