This matrilineal organization gave women a structural importance in Apache social life that was not always visible in the specific moments of crisis and combat that dominate the historical record.

The political leadership of Apache bands was typically male, but it operated within a social context shaped by women’s decisions and women’s relationships.

The extended family networks through which political alliances were formed and maintained were organized around the matrilineal principle, and a chief’s ability to build and sustain political support depended in significant ways on the women whose family networks he was part of.

Women also controlled resources in specific ways.