Teaching Tips: Native American Culture: About Apache Dances

Locate the White Mountains in Arizona on a map. Research the history of the White Mountain Apache. Do they still live on their traditional lands, or were they forced to move? How did they live before the arrival of Europeans? How do they live now?

Introduce the topic of stereotype. How have Native Americans been portrayed in books, movies, and television? Make a list of ways Native Americans have been portrayed and how their dancing has been characterized over the years. Discuss why and how stereotypes develop and why they are so harmful. Show this and other Native American dances and compare what you see to the stereotypes of Native Americans.