PREFACE 



The first part of this paper (pp. 124-159) is a type description of the 

 Western Apache girl's puberty rite or na ih es as it is performed by a 

 group of Apaches living at Cibecue on the Fort Apache Indian Res- 

 ervation in Arizona. 



Compared to the wealth of information we have concerning the 

 ceremonial forms and beliefs of other Southern Athapascan tribes, 

 very little is available on those of the Western Apache, In fact, only 

 two trained ethnographers have published studies on the subject. 

 Goodwin (1938) has presented a brief outline of the entire Western 

 Apache religious system, and Kaut (Goodwin and Kaut, 1954) has 

 analyzed a nativistic movement. Detailed descriptions of ceremonies 

 are completely lacking, and the present work is, I hope, a step toward 

 the elimination of this deficiency. 



In the second portion (pp. 160-170), I examine the symbolic content 

 of na ih es in an effort to illustrate what it means to Apaches and how 

 it educates the pubescent girl in the ways of adulthood. I also discuss 

 some of the ways in which na ih es functions with regard to society at 

 large. In this attempt at structural analysis, I make use of Kluck- 

 hohn's concepts of adjustive and adaptive response. 



This report might never have been written had it not been for the 

 interest and instruction of other people. In particular, I am deeply 

 indebted to the late Dr. Clyde Kluckhohn, who first encouraged me to 

 do fieldwork among the Western Apache. I am also grateful to Dr. 

 Charles R. Kaut who introduced me to many people on the Fort Apache 

 Reservation. In the actual writing, I profited greatly from the sug- 

 gestions of Dr. Evon Z. Vogt. Valuable advice on the linguistic 

 material was given to me by Dr. Richard Diebold, Jr. I also want to 

 thank Symme Bernstein for the time and effort she spent preparing 

 the illustrations. 



For their cooperation, indulgence, and kindness I owe my greatest 

 debt to the people of Cibecue, especially Dick and Don Cooley, 

 Nashley Tessay (my interpreter), Teddy Peaches, and Nelson, Albert, 

 Dewey, and Rose Lupe. Also, I gratefully acknowledge the assistance 

 of Helena Henry, Lillian and Sam Johnson, Melvin Kane, Dudley 

 Patterson, George Gregg, Ernest Murphy, Roy Quay, Pedro Martinez, 

 and Calvert Tessay. 



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