All about Apache Skateboards

Apache Skateboards:  a new Native American iconography

By Kathy WiseLike Geronimo with his rifle, Native teens in Apachelypse Now T-shirts solemnly pose for the camera, skateboards proudly clasped to their chests.

Apache Skateboards—the first Native-owned skateboard company—is championing these new concrete warriors, translating an ancient heritage onto the silk-screened deck of a skateboard.And:Miles sees his deck designs, and the team, as an opportunity to share cultures—both the tribal culture of the Apache and the tribal culture of skateboarding. "Surfing was created by native Hawaiians," Miles says, "and was brought to the mainland in the '30s. Surfers and skateboarders inherently are very tribal about the way they do their thing. As tribal people, as Apache, we understand that, and it is a perfect fit."And:"I think a lot of what we do will impact how Native Americans are going to be viewed in the 21st century," Miles says. "People are going to say 'Wow.' It is about a new Native American iconography, a totally different way of looking at Native American youth in the 21st century."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Skateboarding = Native Culture and Douglas Miles Interview.