Apache Placenames

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the cultural, moral and historical importance of place names in Western Apache society, based on the studies by Keith Basso in his book "Wisdom Sits in Places". The paper discusses the morality tales inherent in each named location and the significance of the land on the morality of the people, and the ways in which the society maintains order and accountability.

From the Paper:

"In his book Wisdom Sits in Places, Keith Basso examines the role of Apache placename stories in the community of Cibecue, Arizona. Place names and the stories directly associated with them are extremely important to Apache culture in a number of ways. Not only do they contain the entire history of the Apache people, the phases of their traveling to the land, settling in, and the important events that took place later, but their primary function is to serve as reminders of appropriate behavior and the morality of the culture to anyone who may be breaking those codes of conduct (Basso 50). The placenames form a historical and geographical narrative as well as a moral code couched in the metaphors of hunting, wounding and healing. In a historical context, placename stories are handed down from generation to generation, fixing the events of a story inextricably from the location where the story took place."

More papers on Apache Placenames:

• Term Paper # 99653 : "The Apache Indians"
• Research Paper # 65298 : "Operation Apache Snow"
• Essay # 7792 : "The Creation Story of the Apache"

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