The Jicarilla Apache, at the time of the American occupation of New Mexico and Arizona, were living in two bands. One of these, generally called the Llanero, made their homes in the mountains between the Rio Grande and the Plains. The second band, known as the Ollero, lived along the Chama River, west of the Rio Grande. For several decades the first-mentioned band was cared for by Indian agents at Cimarron and Taos, while the Ollero received rations at Abiquiu. In 1880 both bands were taken to Tierra Amarilla but in 1884 were removed to the Mescalero Reservation. In 1887 they were finally placed where they are now living on a reservation in northern New Mexico on the headwaters of the San Juan River. They now number 776.
They have been politically associated with the Southern Ute to whom they appear to be very closely related in matters of material culture. The relation of the Jicarilla with the inhabitants of Taos seems not to have been so intimate. They occupied the territory surrounding the pueblo of Taos, either with or without the consent of its inhabitants, but were not allowed to remain in the pueblo over night or to witness important ceremonies. Their relations with the Indians of the Plains seem to have been perpetually hostile. They grouped them under the name of Inda and seemed not to have known them by their usual tribal names. At least in recent times, they have looked upon the Navajo as their enemies. The Navajo were obliged to pass through the territory of the Ute and Jicarilla in order to reach the buffalo upon the Plains. Such journeys were accomplished at night according to the usual custom in passing through the territory of an enemy.
The method of life of the Jicarilla seems to have been very similar to that of the Plains Indians. They used skin tipis and depended mostly upon buffalo and smaller game for their food supply. They seem to have planted corn only to a limited extent.
In language, they belong to the southern division of the Athapascan stock. Taken as a whole, the languages of the southern division have a definite unity as compared with the Athapascan languages on the Pacific Coast and in the Far North. This unity is marked by a considerable proportion of words, even of stems, peculiar to the southern division, and also by certain phonetic shifts. While there is considerable diversity
August, 1911.