Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Plains Apache)
The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Anadarko, Oklahoma. The tribe is made up of Plains Apache people who have lived on the Southern Plains for centuries and were closely allied with the Kiowa (and often known in older records as “Kiowa Apache”). In the 1800s, they were forced onto reservation lands in western Oklahoma, and after the Medicine Lodge Treaty era they lived on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation until allotment and the 1901 opening of much of that land to non-Native settlement. Many families remained in the area around Cache Creek and the Washita River, and the tribe later organized a formal government structure in the 1900s that continues today.
Three interesting facts
The tribe’s headquarters and main tribal complex are in Anadarko, a major hub for several Southern Plains tribes.
The tribe’s language (Plains Apache / Kiowa Apache) is Southern Athabaskan—related (more distantly) to languages like Navajo.
Oklahoma history sources note the tribe has supported language retention efforts and youth-focused cultural education (often described as language retention and youth camps).
What is the tribe’s most recent population census?
One widely cited figure reports about 2,596 enrolled citizens (April 2019) for the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. Because enrollment changes over time, the tribe’s Enrollment Department notes that the most current totals are kept by the tribe.
What is the language spoken by the tribe?
The traditional language associated with the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma is Plains Apache, also called Kiowa Apache. It belongs to the Southern Athabaskan language family (part of the larger Na-Dené family), and it is considered the most linguistically “divergent” (most distinct) within the Southern Athabaskan group. Several sources report that the language became extinct as a first language in 2008 with the death of the last native speaker, which is why many citizens today primarily speak English.
Is there a language revitalization program in the tribe?
Oklahoma history references describe the tribe as having a language retention program (often mentioned alongside youth programming). In addition, partners have worked on preservation/documentation efforts for Plains Apache, including projects focused on recording and safeguarding language knowledge for future learning.
Does the tribe have any Christian history?
During the reservation era, Christian missions and churches were established in the region shared by the Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache. One well-documented example is Cache Creek Mission, founded in the late 1800s by missionary W. W. Carithers among the tribes of that reservation area, and it is specifically tied to work among Kiowa/Comanche/Apache communities in southwestern Oklahoma. Scholarly writing on the period also notes that by 1901 there were numerous churches with Native membership on the reservation (reported as nineteen churches with hundreds of members), showing a significant Christian presence in that era.
Is there a Bible in the language of the tribe?
Plains Apache / Kiowa Apache (apk) specifically, major Bible-resource catalogs do not list a complete Bible (or even a clearly established New Testament) as readily available today, and one collaborative Bible-index site lists no catalogued resources for Kiowa Apache. A key reason is the language’s extremely limited number of speakers in recent decades and the reported loss of the last native speaker in 2008, which makes full Bible translation and community use much harder.
Are there any Bible translation efforts in the tribe?
There is not strong public evidence (in major Bible catalogs) of an active, published Bible translation project in Plains Apache (apk) at this time. However, there are documented efforts to preserve and record the language (which is often the necessary first step before any large translation project), and there are also audio scripture-story style resources listed for the Kiowa Apache language through some media ministries (more like Bible stories/lessons than a full translated Bible text).
Are there any gospel hymns in the tribe’s language?
The region’s “Indian church” history is well known for Native-language hymn traditions (especially among neighboring tribes, including Kiowa), and some Apache-language hymn resources exist in other Apache languages (for example, Western Apache), though that is not the same as Plains Apache
