No.^TG,]^' ^^^' GIFT OF CHANGING WOMAN — BASSO 165 



at niglit. Witches are seldom seen or heard. They are said to be 

 easily angered and frequently act out of jealousy. Apaches say: 

 "You never know who might witch you if they get mad. You must 

 be careful with everyone and try to be friendly. Don't make any- 

 body mad at you," 



Although sparse and quite possibly illusory, my data on witchcraft 

 show that the accused witch is usually not related to the victim. 

 Nonrelatives were suspected in four of the five cases of which I have 

 record. The single exception was an old woman who claimed to have 

 been witched by a distant clan member whom she had not seen in 

 over 10 years. This evidence was further corroborated by general 

 statements from informants such as: "Witches don't like to witch 

 their relatives," or "Relatives don't often witch you." TVTiether 

 or not anyone (relative or nonrelative) actually practices witchcraft 

 is immaterial for the moment. The important thing is that the fear 

 of being witched constitutes a very real source of anxiety. 



Western Apache culture places a high value on the passive 

 personality — the personality disinclined toward such displays of hostile 

 feelings as might anger a relative or upset a potential witch. A 

 highly esteemed person is one who is friendly, generous, and adroit 

 enough to avoid situations which might result in interpersonal con- 

 flict. Such a person goes out of his way to mask signs of aggression, 

 and is always reluctant to pry into other people's affairs. In na ih es, 

 these qualities are symbolically bestowed on the pubescent girl by the 

 orange oriole feathers attached both to the eagle feathers on her cane 

 and to her drinking tube. She is ritually awarded those character 

 traits which her cultm^e considers virtuous and a prerequisite for 

 smooth social interaction. In addition, she is provided with a living 

 model of good conduct— the oriole — to emulate. 



PROSPERITY 



One of the aims of na ih es is to assure the pubescent girl of 

 prosperity. In Western Apache culture, prosperity corresponds in 

 large part to the abundance of nature. More materialistically, it means 

 having enough food and money to withstand times of severe privation. 

 For most Apaches, making a living is difficult and uncertain. Their 

 plots of corn and beans rarely bear an extensive yield, and inclement 

 weather often results in no yield at all. Some years bring rain. 

 Others bring drought, or heavy downpours that uproot seedling 

 plants. Sudden frosts in the early fall ruin near-grown corn, and 

 lightning kills livestock. For all but a few families, private income is 

 low and credit at the trading post soon runs out. It is not surprising 

 that Apaches think of the prosperous man as one who is always free 



