Juh
Encyclopedia
Juh was a warrior and leader of the Janeros local group of the Ndéndai (or Nednhi) band of the Chiricahua
Apache
. Prior to the 1870s, Juh was unknown in the areas controlled by the United States. He went to many wars together with the Chihenne leader Mangas Coloradas
and Chokonen leader Cochise
, and was particularly close to the Bedonkohe di-yin and leader Geronimo
; they grew up together even though they were from different bands. His name reportedly meant "He sees ahead" or "Long neck." He was also known as Tan-Dɨn-Bɨl-No-Jui - „He Brings Many Things With Him“ or Ya-Natch-Cln - „See Far“.
The home range of the Janeros Nednhi was usually in the remote wilderness of the Sierra Madre Occidental
(called by the Apache “Blue Mountains”) of northern Mexico, therefore they likely called themselves Dzilthdaklizhéndé - “Blue Mountain People”. They constituted the northern local group of the Nednhi and lived from the Animas Mountains
and Florida Mountains
in SW New Mexico south into the Sierra del Tigre
,, Sierra San Luis
, Sierra de Carcay, Sierra de Boca Grande, west beyond the Aros River
to Bavispe
(derived from the Opata word
Bavipa - "place where the river changes direction") in NE Sonora, and east along the Janos River and Casas Grandes River
toward the Lake Guzmán in the northern part of the Guzmán Basin
in NW Chihuahua. They were named Janeros after the Presidio and town Janos
in northern Chihuahua, with which they were usually at peace and traded their goods (often stolen in neighboring Sonora).
Most descriptions focused on him being a very large and stocky man. He stood over six feet and weighed 225 pounds.
Juh was a natural leader, but was a stutterer and had problems in talking. Geronimo often acted as a conduit for Juh's words.
Some sources say he was Geronimo's cousin. He married Ishton, who was Geronimo's sister, and had a son with her who was later known as "Asa" Daklugie. He had also two sons called Delzhinne and Daklegon.
Historians believe that Juh planned and executed an 1871 attack in which Lt. Howard Bass Cushing was killed, in the Whetstone Mountains of southern Arizona. A noted U.S. Army Indian fighter, Cushing had made disparaging comments about Cochise that offended Apache sensibilities, and he relentlessly pursued the Apaches (specifically Cochise) around southern Arizona and northern Sonora. At the same time, Cushing became a focus of Juh's attention. The ambush and fight in which he was killed may have been intended to teach him a lesson. It was widely thought at the time that Cochise was himself responsible for the planning and execution of the battle, but a description of the Apache leader does not match eyewitness accounts, including the observation that the Apache leader didn't speak much, but directed his fighters with gestures and hand signals during the battle. The Apache leader most closely matching the physical and behavioral description was Juh. Dan Thrapp made this observation in his book The Conquest of Apacheria. Later, the fact was confirmed by Asa Daklugie (Juh's son) in Eve Ball's (1980) book about the Chiricahuas, Indeh.
Juh died in 1883, near Casas Grandes, Chihuahua. One version is that he was drunk and fell off his horse, breaking his neck. However, his son Asa Daklugie said that he was not drunk, but had a heart attack, fell off his horse as a result and died before a physician could arrive to help him.
Chiricahua
Chiricahua are a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At the time of European encounter, they were living in 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico...
Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
. Prior to the 1870s, Juh was unknown in the areas controlled by the United States. He went to many wars together with the Chihenne leader Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas, or Dasoda-hae , was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Eastern Chiricahua nation, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico...
and Chokonen leader Cochise
Cochise
Cochise was a chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache and the leader of an uprising that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him.-Biography:...
, and was particularly close to the Bedonkohe di-yin and leader Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
; they grew up together even though they were from different bands. His name reportedly meant "He sees ahead" or "Long neck." He was also known as Tan-Dɨn-Bɨl-No-Jui - „He Brings Many Things With Him“ or Ya-Natch-Cln - „See Far“.
The home range of the Janeros Nednhi was usually in the remote wilderness of the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
(called by the Apache “Blue Mountains”) of northern Mexico, therefore they likely called themselves Dzilthdaklizhéndé - “Blue Mountain People”. They constituted the northern local group of the Nednhi and lived from the Animas Mountains
Animas Mountains
The Animas Mountains are a small mountain range in Hidalgo County, within the "Boot-Heel" region of far southwestern New Mexico, in the United States. They extend north-south for about 30 miles along the Continental Divide, from near the town of Animas to a few miles north of the border with...
and Florida Mountains
Florida Mountains
The Florida Mountains are a small 12-mi long, mountain range in New Mexico. The mountains lie in southern Luna County about 15 mi southeast of Deming, and 20 mi north of Chihuahua state, Mexico; the range lies in the north of the Chihuahuan Desert region, and extreme southwestern New...
in SW New Mexico south into the Sierra del Tigre
Sierra del Tigre
Sierra del Tigre is a mountain range in northeastern Sonora, Mexico at the northern region of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The region contains sky island mountain ranges, called the Madrean Sky Islands, some separated from the Sierra Madre Occidental proper, and occurring in the northeastern...
,, Sierra San Luis
Sierra San Luis
The Sierra San Luis range is a mountain range in northwest Chihuahua, northeast Sonora, Mexico at the northern region of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera...
, Sierra de Carcay, Sierra de Boca Grande, west beyond the Aros River
Aros River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
to Bavispe
Bavispe
Bavispe is a small town and a municipality in the northeast part of the Mexican state of Sonora.-Location:The municipality is located in the northeast of the state at . The elevation of the administrative seat is 902 meters above sea level...
(derived from the Opata word
Opata language
Ópata is the name of the Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Opata people of northern central Sonora in Mexico...
Bavipa - "place where the river changes direction") in NE Sonora, and east along the Janos River and Casas Grandes River
Casas Grandes River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
toward the Lake Guzmán in the northern part of the Guzmán Basin
Guzmán Basin
The Guzmán Basin is an endorheic basin of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies the northwestern portion of Chihuahua in Mexico, and extends into southwestern New Mexico in the United States....
in NW Chihuahua. They were named Janeros after the Presidio and town Janos
Janos, Chihuahua
Janos is a town located in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. It serves as the municipal seat of government for the surrounding Janos Municipality of the same name. The 2010 Mexican national census reported a population of 2,738 inhabitants....
in northern Chihuahua, with which they were usually at peace and traded their goods (often stolen in neighboring Sonora).
Most descriptions focused on him being a very large and stocky man. He stood over six feet and weighed 225 pounds.
Juh was a natural leader, but was a stutterer and had problems in talking. Geronimo often acted as a conduit for Juh's words.
Some sources say he was Geronimo's cousin. He married Ishton, who was Geronimo's sister, and had a son with her who was later known as "Asa" Daklugie. He had also two sons called Delzhinne and Daklegon.
Historians believe that Juh planned and executed an 1871 attack in which Lt. Howard Bass Cushing was killed, in the Whetstone Mountains of southern Arizona. A noted U.S. Army Indian fighter, Cushing had made disparaging comments about Cochise that offended Apache sensibilities, and he relentlessly pursued the Apaches (specifically Cochise) around southern Arizona and northern Sonora. At the same time, Cushing became a focus of Juh's attention. The ambush and fight in which he was killed may have been intended to teach him a lesson. It was widely thought at the time that Cochise was himself responsible for the planning and execution of the battle, but a description of the Apache leader does not match eyewitness accounts, including the observation that the Apache leader didn't speak much, but directed his fighters with gestures and hand signals during the battle. The Apache leader most closely matching the physical and behavioral description was Juh. Dan Thrapp made this observation in his book The Conquest of Apacheria. Later, the fact was confirmed by Asa Daklugie (Juh's son) in Eve Ball's (1980) book about the Chiricahuas, Indeh.
Juh died in 1883, near Casas Grandes, Chihuahua. One version is that he was drunk and fell off his horse, breaking his neck. However, his son Asa Daklugie said that he was not drunk, but had a heart attack, fell off his horse as a result and died before a physician could arrive to help him.