Here is what (spirit) wrote on another forum about the Superstition mountains.
The Superstition mountains were not the homeland of Apache clans but were used by many Apache clans for gathering food, medicine and materials when the seasons and need were to the advantage. You must understand the Apache did not all live together in one village with one chief as is portrayed in the movies and TV. There were hundreds of clans spread out over hundreds of square miles, each clan acting as one with neighboring clans or individually as a single clan.
I am decendant of the Tuhana-ne clan, across the water people of the Tiis-Ebah band of Pinal Apache. We were closely related to one other clan, the Tuagaidn, Whitewater people. Both clans used the Superstition mountains for food gathering when the seasons were right.
The Superstitions were not known to our clan as such. They were known to us as digo, a rough rocky country, and also as tset-a-go, place of refuge sought by outlaws or renegardes. There were Apache clans who lived in the Mazatzal range between Wikedjasa, chopped up mountain (Four Peaks) and the Salt river. These were the Inostcoodjin and Tishiyosikadn clans, they lived intermixed with the Yavapai and later became totally absorbed by them. These clans used the Superstition mountains much. Among the Apache were clans which were always restless, always on the move, never settled, these clans were called Nakaye, people who travel from place to place. One of these clans were the Sagune, who seemed at times to live in those mountains.
The Chiricahua also were in those mountains. When San Carlos reservation was first made by the white soldiers it was not made for the western Apache, the Pinal, Tontos, Apache Peaks or San Carlos, it was made for the Chiricahua. Some Chiricahua would slip off the reservation and enter the tset-a-go, this is why those mountains became known as a place of refuge for renegades.
The moutains and places in the Superstitions today have different names from what the Apache clans knew them so it is not to say which mountains were used and at which times of the year. One mountain in particular was used for gathering agave and for making mescal. It was abundant with agave in the season when the blood was in the plants. Some of the mescal pits used in the old days can still be seen on this mountain, the same pits would be used year after year, sometimes for a hundred years or more. Our clan knew this mountain as dzil daho-il, other clans knew it as dzil gageedilje, ravens fly over mountain.
Still other individual Apache would travel to those mountains at certain times for chidin biyi, spirit power or for bil chinah agolzaa binaideel, vision spirits.
spirit
The Superstition mountains were not the homeland of Apache clans but were used by many Apache clans for gathering food, medicine and materials when the seasons and need were to the advantage. You must understand the Apache did not all live together in one village with one chief as is portrayed in the movies and TV. There were hundreds of clans spread out over hundreds of square miles, each clan acting as one with neighboring clans or individually as a single clan.
I am decendant of the Tuhana-ne clan, across the water people of the Tiis-Ebah band of Pinal Apache. We were closely related to one other clan, the Tuagaidn, Whitewater people. Both clans used the Superstition mountains for food gathering when the seasons were right.
The Superstitions were not known to our clan as such. They were known to us as digo, a rough rocky country, and also as tset-a-go, place of refuge sought by outlaws or renegardes. There were Apache clans who lived in the Mazatzal range between Wikedjasa, chopped up mountain (Four Peaks) and the Salt river. These were the Inostcoodjin and Tishiyosikadn clans, they lived intermixed with the Yavapai and later became totally absorbed by them. These clans used the Superstition mountains much. Among the Apache were clans which were always restless, always on the move, never settled, these clans were called Nakaye, people who travel from place to place. One of these clans were the Sagune, who seemed at times to live in those mountains.
The Chiricahua also were in those mountains. When San Carlos reservation was first made by the white soldiers it was not made for the western Apache, the Pinal, Tontos, Apache Peaks or San Carlos, it was made for the Chiricahua. Some Chiricahua would slip off the reservation and enter the tset-a-go, this is why those mountains became known as a place of refuge for renegades.
The moutains and places in the Superstitions today have different names from what the Apache clans knew them so it is not to say which mountains were used and at which times of the year. One mountain in particular was used for gathering agave and for making mescal. It was abundant with agave in the season when the blood was in the plants. Some of the mescal pits used in the old days can still be seen on this mountain, the same pits would be used year after year, sometimes for a hundred years or more. Our clan knew this mountain as dzil daho-il, other clans knew it as dzil gageedilje, ravens fly over mountain.
Still other individual Apache would travel to those mountains at certain times for chidin biyi, spirit power or for bil chinah agolzaa binaideel, vision spirits.
spirit