“The Avenger “

While most raids were defensive in nature and seen as necessary to protect their tribal boundaries and preserve their way of life, some raids were motivated by revenge. During a raid the war party often traveled in canyons and arroyos to avoid being seen. Camps were made in brushy areas. Fires were rarely made. Field shelters often resembled sweat lodges and were fabricated from cottonwood or willow branches, bent over and covered with blankets, bark and leaves. Raids were sometimes carried out hundreds of miles from their home requiring detailed knowledge of the land. This knowledge was passed down through the generations and resulted in a war parties ability to navigate lands totally unknown to anyone but their leaders or ancestors before the trip was made.