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Entering Cibique
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Cibique, Arizona,
is a quiet community of about 1,300 souls surrounded by rolling hills. Dogs and
horses freely roam the streets; the community’s middle and high schools are
topped by a dome that can be seen from blocks away.
But
Cibique wasn’t always this peaceful.
In August
1881, it was the scene of a battle between the Apaches and the cavalry from
Fort Apache that ultimately resulted in the mass defection of the post’s Indian
scouts and Canon Apache warriors joining forces with Geronimo.
Unhealthy
conditions and corruption were the rule on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation,
A respected medicine man, Nock-ay-det-klinne,
began holding ghost dances in the village as the Apaches tried to cope with the
disruption of a lifestyle they had enjoyed for centuries. Some of these ceremonies took place near Fort
Apache, with the Army’s Indian scouts attending. Because of this, Nock-ay-det-klinne,
who had counseled Geronimo and Cochise, among other Apache leaders, became a
target for the cavalry, especially as fort officers became suspicious of the
scouts who attended the ceremonies.
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| Two horses "dine" on streetside vegetation |
The Army
soon came to mistrust the scouts, fearing they would side with the other
Apaches should an uprising occur. They confiscated their weapons.
On August
29, the Sixth Cavalry with 79 enlisted men and 23 scouts left Fort Apachte to
arrest Nock-ay-det-klinne,
the medicine man. After several days of riding over rough, rocky terrain, the
Army reached Nock-ay-det-klinne’s
camp. They started back to the fort with the medicine man in custody.
A battle
erupted as the Army began to make camp for the night. It became more deadly
when the scouts turned against the soldiers, six of whom were killed before the
scouts began defending the Army. Later that night, after burying their dead,
the Army sneaked out under cover of darkness. It was a victory for the Apaches.
During the
attack, Nock-ay-det-klinne,
his wife and son, were killed, further inciting the Apaches. Two days later,
Apaches attacked the fort, and later joined forces with other regional Apache
tribes, including the Chiruicahuas, to set off a regional uprising. It was a war
that was to last for two years.
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| Fields around Cibique |
Cibique is located on the White Mountain Apache Reservation on Indian Highway 12, about 12 miles from Highway 60, a few miles south of the Fort Apache junction. If there are any monuments marking the battle site, they are not easily found.
