Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico - Sample Letter of Support

Below is a sample comment letter that can be submitted as written or edited before sending:

OPTION 1:

Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico – Sample Comment Letter

I, [insert name], support the re-acknowledgment of Petition #404—Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico. This tribe’s rich history is not part of a singular Chiricahua Apache history. The term Chihene describes the tribe’s connection to the Greater Gila region. This tribe comprised of Gila Apache are the treaty signers' descendants, making their identity unambiguous. The tribe was historically known as the “Rio Mimbres and Rio Gila Apaches” of 1853 and the “Mimbres Bands of Gila Apache” of 1855. Before U.S. occupation, the tribe signed multiple treaties with Spain and Mexico. Given the tribe’s unambiguity, it should only be assessed on the minimum three criteria described in 25 CFR Part 83.  Its historical presence and contributions to the region are undeniable and deserve recognition. Tribal elders have now directed the next generation to petition the federal government to preserve its language, identity, and ongoing culture. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Insert Name]

OPTION 2:

I [Insert Name] urge the OFA to re-acknowledge the historical significance of the Gila Apache (Chihene Nde) and the value of their presence in the Gila. This tribe has a rich history, having signed multiple treaties with Spain, Mexico, and the United States under the names of the Rio Mimbres and Rio Gila Apaches and the Mimbres Bands of Gila Apaches. Their historical presence and contributions to the region are undeniable and deserve recognition.

On February 15, 2024, the Office of Federal Recognition (OFA) approved the submission of the tribe, known as the Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico, to participate in the Department of the Interior’s administrative process. The process examines whether the petitioning group meets the criteria required for Federal “acknowledgment” as an Indian Tribe and by which those tribes may receive services provided to the members of Indian Tribes.

The Gila Apache (Chihene Nde) have historically inhabited communities in west-central and southwest New Mexico. The consolidation of Apache tribes on reservations and the exile of others from New Mexico have had significant adverse impacts. These actions have led to confusion and a loss of public identity for off-reservation Apaches like the Chihene Nde Nation, who have largely remained unnoticed until now. Tribal elders have now directed the next generation to petition the federal government for re-recognition to preserve their ongoing culture.

Scholars have assessed the Chihene Nde Nation over the decades, considering its people to be modern descendants of the Gila Apache, who entered treaties with three nations (Spain, Mexico, and the U.S.) and agreed to cede ancestral land in the Mimbres and Gila region to the U.S. With an unambiguous sovereign political identity and separate history from any current reservation Apache tribe and direct lineage to treaty signers not spoken of in the history of other Apache tribes, makes the Chihene Nde a unique people.  The petition includes the following points that distinguish the tribe:

• The tribe’s leader signed treaties and compiled by confederating their bands into one political identity as the Eastern American Indian tribes

• The existing tribal members descend directly from the treaty signers with the U.S. in the 1852 Treaty with the Apaches, the 1853 Treaty with the Rio Mimbres and Rio Gila Apaches, and the 1855 with the Mimbres Bands of Gila Apache.

• After the closing of the Tularosa Valley Indian Agency in 1874, the tribe remained separated in their agricultural villages in the Greater Gila and Mimbres region, Southwest New Mexico along the Rio Grande, and northern Mexico.

• The tribe farmed and ranched in their ancestral territories while maintaining their cultural heritage amidst economic change from a subsistence to a cash economy.

• The tribe had been recognized for almost 80 years before the U.S. government removed its name from the National List of Indian Tribes in 1941. Treating us differently than reservation Apaches.

Additionally, the petition demonstrates an ongoing presence and culture, including traditional language, crafts, and songs. For example, the tribe gathers annually in the tradition of its ancestors, documented in the 1850s by its U.S. Indian Agent, Michael Steck. The tribe has submitted evidence for all seven criteria but should be considered to have had unambiguous previous federal acknowledgment and to be a historical American Indian tribe. Given the tribe’s unambiguous previous federal acknowledgment, it should only be assessed on the minimum three criteria described in 25 CFR Part 83.

The OFA should not base its decision on the opinion of any Apache tribe anywhere else in the United States. We were once recognized by the federal government and have remained Apaches despite being de-listed for no apparent reason. We are trying to correct a historical mistake.

Please mail your support letter to the following address before August 15, 2024.

The address for the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs is:

Department of the Interior
Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs
Attention: Office of Federal Acknowledgment
Mail Stop 4071 MIB
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240

SAMPLE LETTER WORD DOC DOWNLOAD

See links below of two recent articles authored to provide additional context.

• AOL.com - “The Gila Wilderness is Gila Apache Homeland”

• San Carlos Apache Moccasin - “The Gila Wilderness is Gila Apache Homeland - Part Two”