Storytelling has been a vital and vivid tradition in Apache life. Coyote tales, the creation legend and stories of historic battles with Comanche and Anglo intruders create a colorful mosaic of tribal heritage. Percy Bigmouth, a prominent oral historian of the Mescalero and Lipan Apache tribes, realized in the early twentieth century that the old ways were waning. He wrote in longhand what he had learned from his father, Scout Bigmouth, a prison camp survivor at Fort Sumner and participant in the turbulent Apache Wars. Join author Lynda Sanchez as she brings to light the ancient legends and lore of the Apaches living in the shadow of Mescalero's Sacred Mountain. Seventy-five years in the making, this collection is a loving tribute to a way of life nearly lost to history.
Lynda A. Sanchez has called historic Lincoln County, New Mexico, her home for more than four decades. She served in the Peace Corps in South America and participated in archaeological field work in Colorado as well as Sonora, Mexico and Belize. Her books include "Fort Stanton: Legacy of Honor, Tradition of Healing," "Eve Ball: Woman Among Men," "Indeh: An Apache Odyssey" and "Capture the Past for New Mexico's Future." She is a past president of the Lincoln County Historical Society and is the recipient of numerous awards related to writing history and historic preservation work including a "cavalry sword" for work on preserving Fort Stanton and True West's 2007 Best Preservation Project in the Nation award. The Historical Society of New Mexico honored her in 2008 with their prestigious L. Bradford Prince Award. Ms. Sanchez has also been an advocate for our Veterans' Legacy. Mary M. Serna is the director/administrator of the St. Joseph Apache Mission Restoration Project at Mescalero, New Mexico.