One can't help but be inspired by the unbreakable spirit of a people who survived the harshest ordeals by always keeping their spirits alive, and there is some strong medicine among the Apache people, good medicine that we can all learn and be inspired by.

Elbys Onea Naiche Hugar was the last of her breed. In her crackling sweet voice that commanded attention, she told me that she was the last of her generation. All of her close family members had passed away, so she was the only one left.

The air smelled of smoke from the fires raging in the Southwest, but foremost in my mind was excitement to see my friends and family on the reservation. Whenever I make a trip to the Apache rez, it is their love that always leaves me humbled.

American Indian heroes, and their names, should not be used without an understanding of who these folks really were and what they still mean to their people.

Traditions, language and spiritual beliefs of so many of the American Indian nations are almost completely extinguished. Is it any wonder that the youth find themselves in an identity crisis?