University of North Texas Western Apache Places Discussion

Prompt: How are place, language, and history intertwined in the Wisdom Sits in Places reading, among Western Apache people? And why do you think Western Apache people choose to tell their history in such a place-based manner? What’s so important about place, anyways?

We also need to write a response of below answers.

Place, language, and history are intertwined in the Wisdom Sits in Places reading among Western Apache people because there are so many place-names for nature such as grass, mountains, etc. It is a way for them to tell their history and it is a big part of their language. It has been stated that place-names are very important because it is the “words of the ancestors” meaning it is sacred since their past relatives have given them their land and raised them enough that it has kept them alive for so many years. Also, it is intertwined because in order for them to talk about place it would require them to tell history about that place which would require them to use their unique place-name language.

Western Apache people chose to tell their history in such a place-based manner because using it is very significant since they tell a story that includes a certain place, especially since they do not have libraries or a way to record stuff they will have to remember the scenery. For example, it was stated that when an Apache person says the names of the place-names, they will look back at a specific story and remember the place that is attached to that particular story. Apache people also use stories to fix another person’s stories and remind them of how it actually went without having to go against their ways of not respecting people’s right to independence, whereas non-Apache people will do it in a blunt or overbearing way. Place is so important because it reminds them of so many different things like to behave, worship the land, honor their ancestors, etc. This is why the Western Apache people are so proud of the land they have always been in for many generations, and they continue to tell history in such a place-based manner.