Welcome to the Carlanas Apache!
Geographic and Cultural Background
We, the Carlanas Apache, have traditionally (50,000 plus years) inhabited the plains, foothills, and mesas of the Arkansas River basin and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Our environment, which includes a mix of semi-arid plains and mountainous terrain, allowed us to be highly adaptable in hunting, gathering, and farming.
Historically, we are known for our hunting mobility. In the 18th century, horses were utilized to enhance our buffalo and antelope hunting and hand-made goods trade capabilities. The bison, along with small game and foraged plant materials, continue to be central to our subsistence.
Culturally, we, the Carlanas Apache were also skilled in the trade and formed alliances with neighboring tribes like the Pueblo, Pawnee, Lakota, and other Apache groups such as the Lipan, exchanging goods like animal hides, weapons, and crafted items.
Welcome to our history
We, the **Carlanas Apache** (SE Athapaskan) have continued to be active participants in trade networks that spanned the **Arkansas River** and beyond.
The Arkansas River, flowing through southeastern Colorado and northern New Mexico, is a vital part of our trade routes. It connects us with neighboring tribes, such as the Pueblos, our Ute relatives, and other Indigenous groups across the plains. The river was a lifeline for transporting goods like bison hides, food, and crafted items.
Additionally, we, the Carlanas Apache, engaged in long-distance trade routes that extended toward the south. There, we interacted with Spanish colonial settlements and traded for European goods, including metal tools, weapons, and horses.
These routes facilitated economic exchanges and reinforced alliances and kinship networks across the region, allowing us, the Apache, to maintain influence and adaptability in a rapidly changing environment.
Source for Map above: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272313762_Gateways_for_Athabascan_Migration_to_the_American_Southwest