Cultural History Commons^™

"There Was Nothing There For Us”: Environment And The People At Bosque Redondo, Kaveh K. Mowahed

History ETDs

The Bosque Redondo Indian reservation held nearly 10,000 Native prisoners through much of the 1860s. Navajo captives outnumbered the Mescalero Apaches who were imprisoned there by about ten to one, until the Mescaleros escaped in November, 1865. Americans interned the Navajo at Bosque Redondo for another three years before negotiating a treaty that allowed for their release and return to their homeland, Dinétah.

The physical environment’s role was seemingly all encompassing for Natives confined on the Bosque Redondo reservation. However, the environments in their homelands were different; they were distinct landscapes that illustrated the intimate connections people have with place. …