166 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



from hunger. In phase VI of na ih es, the pubescent girl is sym- 

 boHcally protected against famine by the corn, the candy (Apaches 

 dearly love sweets), and the fruit which is cascaded over her head. 

 The buckskin on which she dances throughout the ceremony stands as 

 a guarantee of a plentiful supply of meat. 



In recent years Apaches have come to place a high value on some 

 of the things money can buy. Trucks, for instance, are a welcome 

 means of transportation, opening up wide areas of mobility, and even 

 the simplest cabin offers protection from the cold. Moreover, the 

 wealthy are able to hold frequent ceremonials, and most important 

 of all, money acts as a safeguard against the economic losses caused 

 by the natural environment. Within the past few decades, the prac- 

 tice of pouring a few small coins (along with the corn, candy, and 

 fruit) over the girl's head has been added to 72a ih es. Supposedly, 

 she is thus assured of wealth as an adult. Old informants point out, 

 however, that in their youth men reckoned wealth in terms of horses, 

 women in terms of blankets. The traditional symbol of wealth, 

 they say, occurs in phase VIII, when the girl throws a blanket in each 

 of the cardinal directions. 



It will be immediately understood that the realization of any one 

 of the life objectives defined in na ih es increases the possibility of 

 achieving others. Two specific examples of this interrelationship 

 follow: 



The attainment oj old age depends in large part upon an observance 

 of the proscriptions which mollify the anger of supernatural forces, 

 and thereby bring about good health. Good health is obviously 

 required for physical strength, a Ufe objective in itself. 



To maintain a good disposition — again a specific life objective — is to 

 escape antagonizing another and to cause him to seek revenge by 

 employing witchcraft. One result of witchcraft is sickness, which, 

 by definition, makes physical strength impossible. 



It is clear that the four life objectives stressed in na ih es are not 

 always separate from one another; rather, they may be mutually 

 dependent, forming a 'life objective complex." 



The foregoing discussion may have left the impression that Apaches 

 conceive of the life objectives as expHcitly formulated principles. 

 Actually, these are culturally determined attitudes which are under- 

 stood implicitly and rarely articulated. Their significance for the 

 pubescent girl is that they define patterns of behavior which lessen 

 the hazards and tensions in those areas of life most filled with 

 uncertainty, and in which failure may result in disastrous conse- 

 quences. If these patterns are carefuUy followed, they contribute 

 immeasurably to the equilibrium of society and the psychological 

 well-being of the individual. 



