(Second in a series)
The Tsonka Ne Nde tribe (or, familiarly, Chiricahuas) held sway over the southern Arizona and western New Mexico territories for decades. Their history is heavily accented by conflict with numerous other peoples and, finally, with the U.S. Army.
No bigger obstacle to Manifest Destiny was more evident than the Apaches, and the great chief Cochise was the best example of their resistance to the advancement of the âwhite eyes.â
First, let s clear up a historical error. His hard-to-pronounce (translating from Apache to English) name sounded like Cachise. During the founding of Cochise County, which was originally a hunk of Pima County, an official misspelled his name; hence Cachise became Cochise. I do not think he cared a whit.