The written record of the Apache Wars was created by the opponents of the Apache and serves their perspective.

The oral tradition was created by the Apache themselves and serves the perspective of the people who lived through the events.

For the history of individuals like Lozen — who left no written trace and appeared only incidentally in the records of her enemies — the oral tradition is not a secondary source.

It is the primary source.

The cross-referencing of oral accounts with each other, and with the specific military and administrative records that do exist, allows historians to assess the reliability of specific claims.

Where oral accounts are consistent with each other and with known events documented in the written record, confidence in their accuracy is higher.