Mescalero Apache Reservation
The Mescalero Apache Reservation (self-designation Mashgalé-ne bikéyaa - "land of the people close to the mountains") is the reservation of the Mescalero Apache (self-designation Mashgalénde - "people close to the mountains").
geography
The reserve is located in south-central New Mexico and is around 1864 km², about twice the size of Berlin. It lies at an altitude of approx. 1600 m to 3650 m above sea level. The high mountains are part of the Sacramento Mountains , with the highest mountain - the Sierra Blanca Peak (3652 m) - which is sacred to the Mescalero Apache and must not be entered. In the language of the Mescalero Apache Ndé Bizaa ' the mountain is called Dziãgais'â-ní (Holy Mountain). The reservation is almost entirely in Otero County . The high mountains in the west are forested. To the east, the forest merges into the lower steppe-like plains. There is only one major town of note, Mescalero , located on US Highway 70 . It has around 1400 inhabitants (2020) and around 90% of it is inhabited by Native Americans. The neighboring towns of Ruidoso in the northeast and Tularosa in the southwest are no longer within the territory of the reserve. The rest of the area is very sparsely populated.
population
In 2000 there were 3156 tribal members according to the census, today there are almost 4000.
The Mescalero Apache Tribe today officially consists of three separate groups, which represent the following formerly independent tribes: the Mescalero Apache , the Chiricahua Apache and the Lipan Apache .
The tribe operates the Ski Apache ski resort northeast of Dziãgais'â-ní and the hotel and casino , the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino , located on Mescalero Lake . The Apache established a cultural center with a museum near their administrative center in Mescalero. In addition, they operate a campsite on Eagle Creek and one on Silver Lake.
Most of the Mescalero Apache earn their living doing contract work in and around the reserve. The income of the tribe results from tourism , hunting and fishing licenses , from the timber industry and from cattle and fish farming. Besides the production of weighing boards (Engl. Cradle board ) and pearl jewelry there in the Mescalero no traditional crafts more. Recently tourism has become the most successful source of income. The Ski Apache ski area offers first-class international winter sports conditions on the three-thousand-meter Sierra Blanca . It is the southernmost ski resort in northern America.
There is a large school center southwest of Carrizo , the Mescalero Apache School with elementary, middle and high schools.
places
Streets
Roads outside built-up areas:
- US Highway 70 . Coming from Tularosa in the southwest, the highway reaches the reserve area just before Mescalero, then turns to the northwest and leaves the reserve just before Ruidoso Downs.
- State Route NM 244. At Apache Summit , the 244 branches off Highway 70 to the southeast. She turns southwest at Silver Springs Canyon, passes Silver Lake and leaves the reserve shortly thereafter.
- County Route M-002. It branches off the NM 244 at Silver Springs Canyon and continues in a south-east direction and ends in a dirt road at the county border.
In addition, there are numerous Indian Service Routes, farm roads that are partially paved and often (just before the reservation border) end in nothing.
history
The reservation was first established on May 27, 1873. The reservation in the current area was established in 1883.
In about 1903, a group of Lipan who had survived the fighting in Texas reached the reservation. They were taken in by the Mescalero. In 1913, approximately 200 of the Chiricahua released from Fort Sill were admitted to the reservation, while other Chiricahua chose to remain in Oklahoma. When the tribe was reorganized in 1934, everyone on the reservation, regardless of their origin, became Mescalero.
On March 25, 1936, the tribe received a constitution. This was revised in the 1960s and passed again on January 12, 1965. Last changed on October 18, 1988.
Wendell Chino (1923–1998) is very important for the history of the Mescalero in the 20th century . He had been in the management of the reserve since 1955 and until 1998, as the re-elected president, made a decisive contribution to the development of the reserve. On his initiative, Ski Apache (1962) and the Casino (1975), as well as other companies on the reserve, were tackled and implemented. His work still has an impact on many other Indian reservations today.
The tribe has given itself a tribal code "The Mescalero Apache Tribal Code of 2016". It is comparable to the BGB .
administration
The administration is based in Mescalero.
The tribe is managed according to the principle of separation of powers . The executive is elected every two years and consists of a president, a vice-president, a secretary and a chamberlain.
The legislature consists of a council with eight members who are elected annually.
The judiciary is elected by the council and has a presiding judge and two assessors.
The administration has several departments:
- administration
- Adult Support Services
- Cultural Resources, including a program to promote the native language Ndé Bizaa '
- Education, maintains z. B. your own library
- Health, with prevention programs e.g. B. against diabetes
- Mescalero Apache Tribe Housing Department (MATHD)
- Maintenance
- Natural Resources, z. B. cattle and fish farming
- Tribal government
- Youth Programs
Trivia
The Mescalero Apache are the Apatschen tribe that Karl May describes in his books. In doing so, he adheres less to the facts than to the image of the Indians , which was mainly shaped by Buffalo Bill in 19th century Europe . The character of the chief Winnetou is fictional.
The Silver Lake located in the area of the Mescalero Apache is, however, not the lake from Karl May's story The Treasure in the Silver Lake . This (fictional) lake would be in the US state of Utah.
Individual evidence
- ^ US Department of the Interior: Indian Affairs - Mescalero Agency
- ↑ Homepage of the Ski Apache Resort
- ↑ Homepage of the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino
- ^ Mescalero Apache Cultural Center & Museum
- ↑ Homepage of the Mescalero Apache School
- ↑ https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/our-culture/
- ↑ https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/constitution/
- ↑ https://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Ca-Fi/Chino-Wendell.html
- ↑ https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/wp-content/uploads/Tribal-Code-FINAL-092716-for-tabbing-372018.pdf
- ↑ https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/nde-bizaa/
Web links
- [1] Site of the tribe