Qiangxin LiuAIS ANTH 347 SP14 001Thomas E. Sheridan, Ph.D.The book review of “Apache Odyssey: A Journey Between Two Worlds.”This book focus on the story of one Mescalero Apache male, Chris, whose parents are from Chiricahua and Mescalero. During telling the story of Chris, the author makes descriptions about different Apache tribes’ cultural and linguistic common points and differentia in details. Besides, Apache’s strategic moments with crucial background information about history and culture are shown in this book as well. Therefore, we should not treat this book as one simple record of one ordinary Apache person. Instead, we should carefully analyses all the involved background, tradition, culture and local native people’s value. And all of these make this book to be valuable research materials for Apache.The author Morris E. Opler is an American anthropologist and advocate of Japanese-American civil rights. His chief anthropological contribution is in the ethnography of Southern Athabaskan peoples. Opler earned his Ph.D from the University of Chicago in 1933, and he taught at Reed College in Portland during 1940s. Then he taught at Cornell University and the University of Oklahoma. Besides this record book, his idea about Apache tribes’ living situation and traditional culture is concluded in his another book-- The Kinship systems of the southern Athabaskan-Speaking tribes. I’ll quote a lot from this book to explain his idea in a more rigorous way.After the introduction of the general and geography information of different tribes of Apache, the book starts to record Chris’s childhood and author’s analyses. The author thinks that it is very unusual for the different Apache tribes to raid againsteach other, but they were troubled times. “Owing to the incursion of white settlers, tribal ranges were shrinking.”(Page 40) Admittedly, the incursion of white settlers is one of the reasons that force different Apache tribes to stay in peace. According to Michele. D. Dominy’s “White settler assertions of native status”, only from 1797 to 1902, the area of Apahce actual control land has fallen by 82.4%, and unlike any other native people, the population of some far south Apache even increased more than 10 percent. The pressure of living force many Apache tribes trans their contradiction from among their own to between native people and white settler. However, according to Elithando’s “Apache revolution” in CQ Researcher on 1997 May 4th, at least, Chiricahua and Mescalero which are tribes of Chris’s parents, have stay in peace for quite a long time which is even longer than the history of incursion of white people. Thus, I think author’s analyses is in one-sided. After this, Chris introduces the religion culture of Chiricahua and Mescalero in detail by telling his father’s path of getting supernatural power. The author believe that comparing to other Apache tribes, Mescalero is more traditional and backward. “There is no evidence that the Mescalero made clay pots anciently. It is possible that the few women who made pottery during the period described by the narrator were stimulated to do so by the example of the Jicarilla Appache.”(page 51) After, Chris describes the whole process of his training for being a shaman in the future, likehunting, victory dance and realizing the importance of power etc. The author believes that this is an effective system of training. “The witchcraft anxiety if great and pervades many contexts. All kinds of behavior are watched for any telltale signs of witchcraft.”(page 79) In fact, in a lot of another record, accepting all these kind of training is not only prepare-shaman special right. A lot of ordinary Apache teenagers have to be trained all of these as well. For example, in “Warrior Woman”, by Peter Aleshire, even all of the women will accept hunting training and learn victory dance in Kiowa Apache. On the second chapter---“Following Two Trails”, Chris starts his first touch of the civilization word. From Chris’s point of view, something happened during the process of white people’s conquer is really funny. Some interesting game is invented by combining the Apache tradition and civilization word. According to Chris’s memory, sacrifice takes a very important position of Apache tribes’ life. “At the time a Mescalero has a vision experience and acquires a ceremony, he is often told by his power to refrain from practicing the rite for a certain length of time or until he receives a sign that it is proper to use his gift.”(Page 88) I do think Opler misunderstand native people’s feeling about this kind of change. According to Salahubara’s “Period of Forgiveness” in CQ Researcher on 2006 Oct 17th, native Apache’s change is only one kind of only choice which they can not help but just been forced to adopt to this kind of change. For example, in Chiricahua, the lack of material makes the original four times sacrifice in the autumn turned into two. Even though, the people of Chiricahua still tributes some food in their home instead ofdoing that together. So obviously, the reason for the change of tradition is only the pressure of life. When Chris talked about the Indian great hero, Geronimo, full thankful kind of feeling among his words. “I was still just a schoolboy when Look-Around-Water performed a ceremony for me. His power from Morning Star shows good visions too.”(Page 91) Therefore, the deification of Geronimo’s personal image started from the early of 20th century. Besides, Apache’s attitude about Illness and injury is another very interesting part which Opler focus on. In fact, local Apache only has little hope about their witchcraft way of healing illness. “My father gave him a little help, enough strength to last a little while. They took him back and with little hope”(page 103) However, the traditional way of healing is still their only choice when they got sick. One reason for this is that they believe the illness is one kind of punishment from god. By Keith H. Basso’s “Western Apache Witchcraft”, “The lack of respect of god makes them to be punished”. Another main reason is undeveloped local economy. In detail, the specific way of treading disease is the part that author isvery interesting in. “When a man is sick and is losing his weight and strength, someone usually tells him that fresh deer’s blood will make him a different man.”(Page 105) I