Living on the Land: Desert Survival

Apache families lived in the mountains and deserts of what is now Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. The land looks dry and empty to a visitor, but Apache families knew where every food plant grew and when it would ripen. They moved with the seasons: up into the cool mountains in late summer and fall, and down to warmer, lower country in winter and spring.

Women, the Expert Gatherers

Apache women gathered most of the family's food and built the family's home, a small domed wickiup made of poles and brush. Men hunted deer, pronghorn, and rabbits. Western Apache families also planted small fields of corn, beans, and squash near streams.

Today: Apache families still gather and roast agave, and elders teach children which desert plants are good for food, medicine, and basket weaving.

A Year on the Land

Your family is moving through the seasons. Make the choice an Apache family would make.

The Desert Provides

Sort each plant, animal, or material by how Apache families used it. Tap an item, then tap the group where it belongs.

Think About It

1. Why did Apache families move with the seasons instead of staying in one place all year?
2. Why were baskets more useful than clay pots for families who moved often?
3. Agave had to be roasted for a day or more. Why might families dry some of the roasted agave instead of eating it all right away?
4. How does the environment shape the way people live? Give two examples from this activity.

Build a Wickiup Model

Materials

• 8 to 10 thin, bendable twigs or pipe cleaners
• a ball of clay for the base
• string
• dried grass, raffia, pine needles, or shredded brown paper

Directions

1. Push the twigs into the clay in a circle about 4 inches across.
2. Bend the tops together and tie them with string.
3. Tuck bundles of "grass" over the frame, starting at the bottom.
4. Leave a door and a smoke hole at the top.
5. Write: Why was this a good home for a family that moved with the seasons?

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