The Jicarilla Reservation sits on the Continental Divide, and its almost one million acres is a variety of landscapes. The northern area of mountains, forests, steep canyons, valleys, and many small lakes is a counterpart to the semi-desert of the south, with its beautiful sandstone and mesas.
| Origin | Identity | Land | Today |
|---|
The Jicarilla (little basketmakers) are of the
Athabascan
language group and anthropologists say that these people came from
Canada down the eastern flanks of the Rocky Mountains about 1300-1500 AD.
All tribes deny the migration theories and say that they have
always been here:
Though limited to using dogs as pack animals, the Jicarilla were the most
successful raiders. When the Spaniards brought horses once again to
North America (the previous horses had been eaten long before) the
Jicarilla took full advantage.
They were not recognized as being distinctive from the other southern
Athabascans: Chiricahuas,
Navajos,
Western Apaches, Mescaleros, Kiowa Apaches, and Lipans, until about 1700.
Jicarilla are further identified as the plains people (Llaneros),
and the mountain-valley people (Olleros) or Hoyero.
Who are these people? Their name for themselves is Tinde.
But names that have been or are used by others than themselves are:
Their contacts with the Spaniards began with Coronado in
1540 to 1542, perhaps as the Querechos, whom the later Spanish
explorers called Vaqueros.
Hostilities began almost at first contact with the Spaniards, and though
a Spanish mission was attempted near Taos in 1733, it was short-lived.
Here is a general time table of the Jicarilla's relationships with the
new landlords.
And there is no question of their modern identity. Through
steadfastness, strategy, and an understanding of business
they have done well for themselves. Money from the wool of
their thousands of sheep is supplemented handsomely by
income from their hundreds of gas and oil wells.
Since about
1990 the Jicarilla Apache have been adding more land to
their reservation, spending millions of dollars.
They have been able to adapt to many cultural and environmental
changes in just 200 years. Though the old ways are maintained, the
Jicarilla have become modern warriors. They are brilliant business
people with strong leaders, and are also very successful in their
dealings with the U.S. Government.
Their one million acre reservation on the continental divide is one
of the last of the unspoiled areas for big game: deer, elk, bear, and
cougar. As of this writing an elk tag is $3,500, comparing favorably
with a price of $10,000 in some other areas.
Fishing
and other outdoor recreation is also available.
Back to
Four Corners Postcard.
The First People.
Within the Jicarilla themselves are these smaller groups that claim
certain areas as their original homes:
Though all of these are in New Mexico, the Jicarilla have
been all through parts of southeastern Colorado, northern New Mexico,
and adjoining areas of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
the tribe today numbers about 1,800.
The Jicarilla are hospitable people.
Here are a couple of examples:
The capital of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation is Dulce, NM, located
about 90 miles east of Farmington, NM on Hwy 64. At the Visitor's Center
the museum exhibits beadwork and basketry, with demonstrations of
artisans at work.
Teepees are set up and the cooking is done outdoors. Hospitality comes
first and everyone is fed. Are you ready for buffalo/crawfish jambalaya?
Photography NOT permitted.
of all the peoples on these pages.
Jicarilla Apache Tribe
P.O. Box 507
Dulce, NM 87528
(505) 759-3242
Casino Information
(505) 759-3777
Farmington Information:
(800)448-1240
and events concerning Native American Indians.
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Mark researches the tribes and portrays their lives of then and now.
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© Copyright 1998 by L. Michael Smith. Fair use granted.