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Native Languages of the Americas:
Apache Legends and Myths

This is our collection of links to Apache folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American folktales section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Apache tribe, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Navajo and Pueblo tribes are very similar to Apache mythology.

Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Apache legend for this page or think one of the ones on here should be removed, please contact us and let us know.

Apache Indian Folklore

*Jicarilla Apache Legends:
    Online collection of 53 Jicarilla myths and legends, as well as oral histories and traditions.
*Myths and tales of the Jicarilla Apache:
    Another e-book of Jicarilla legends and lore.
*Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache Legends:
    Online compilation of myths and legends from the Chiricahua and Mescaelro Apache tribes.
*Apache Fox Stories:
    Six Jicarilla Apache stories about the misadventures of the trickster Fox.
*Apache Creation Story:
    Apache myth about the beginning of the world.
*The Origin of Fire:
    Apache myth about Fox stealing fire.
*How The Buffalo Were Released On Earth:
    Plains Apache legend about the origin of the buffalo herds.
*Apache Flood Myth:
    A Mojave-Apache legend about the flooding of the earth.
*Coyote Fights a Lump of Pitch:
    Western Apache legend about a fight between the tricksters Coyote and Fox.
*Coyote Gets Rich off the White Men:
    A humorous modern legend about Coyote tricking some white soldiers.
*The Origin of Curing Ceremonies:
    Western Apache traditions about how the curing ceremony began.
*Death of the Great Elk * Why The Bat Has Short Legs:
    Apache legends about how the animals became as they are today.
*Coyote Proves Himself A Cannibal:
    The trickster Coyote gets the better of Owl.
*Coyote And Bobcat Scratch Each Other:
    The animals play tricks on one another.
*Why The Bat Hangs Upside Down:
    Apache legend about a fight between Hawk and Bat.
*The Abandoned Children:
    White Mountain Apache legend about a neglectful mother's comeuppance.
*The Mescaleros' Prophecy:
    Mescalero Apache prophecies about the coming of white men and the end of the world, in Apache and English.

Additional Resources

 Western Apache religion
 Mescalero Apache religion
 Apache Sunrise Ceremony
 Books of Native American legends
 Native American religions
 Apache words
 Native American tribes of Arizona
 Southwest Indians
 Southwestern art
 Athabascans



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