I join this forum few months ago, and I haven't read all posts, I just start reading this post today and I can see a lot of interesting comments, I'm not sure if you still interested or feeding this forum that was started on 2011, I see some comments up to 2013, but if you want to continue it, I can contribuite with few things, I'm actually living on Chihuahua state and I know several of the ancient sacred lands, still a lot of them more to visit, hope I can do it on my lifetime, somethings you mentioned on this forum is about Lipan Apaches, first, they are still visiting and settled on Mexico but basically on the Coahuila state to the east of Chihuahua specially to Muzquiz Coahuila, Muzquiz is the last name of a General/Governor of Coahuila, but some of their relatives (Miguel Muzquiz father of Alstate Mother Lipan) were taken by the Lipans and actually on Mezcalero reservation you can find descendance, such as Sara Misquez, Muzquiz such as lot of words that deteriorated by the pronunciation of names in Spanish written by Americans in English according to their phonetic, well, not much Lipans on Chihuahua but Coahuila's.
On Chihuahua there were Mezcaleros on the east, Chihenes on North Central, Nednais or Nendais and ChoKonen (Chokohonde-Jocomes) On the West and down south to sierra madre, Gulkahendeh On central and south Chihuahua... Pronounciations vary depending if in mexican-spanish english, or spaniards like Jocomes written by father Eusebio Kino on the 1700's...
Well, In my opinion Regarding to Kayitah four possibilities:
1.-They might have been absorbed by other tribes of the area, maybe even by former enemies. Yaqui? Tarahumara? Opata? YES SOME OF THEM.
2.-It's also possible that they were eventually hunted down by Tarahumaras and mexican troops. If so, the surviving men and women may have been sent to prisons in Chihuahua or Sonora, or sold into slavery and prostitution, while the children were given into mexican foster homes/families. YES A LOT OF THEM, BUT A LOT CHILDREN AND WOMEN WERE ALSO KILLED, EVEN MORE SAD. BUT MAINLY BY MEXICAN TROOPS MORE THAN BY TARAHUMARAS, THEY WERE ALSO SLAVES OF THE MEXICAN TROOPS NOT THE CASE OF MAURICIO CORREDOR, HE WAS MORE ASSIMILATED TO MEXICANS THAN TARAHUMARAS.(MEXICAN TROOPS MEANS MOST WHITES DESCENDANT OF SPANIARDS)AND DON'T FORGET US TROOPS AND APACHE SCOUTS.
3.-The third theory is that they eventually gave up their traditional way of life and became vaqueros and farmers like their former mexican raiding victims. Could be that some of them took that route. MOST OF THEM BECAME FARMERS, BUT DIDN'T GAVE UP TRADITIONS AT ALL, WAY OF LIFE YES, BUT YOU CAN STILL SEE TRACES OF CEREMONIES, FOODS, WORDS, CLOTHING, DANCE ETC. AND THEY BECAME FARMERS BECAUSE THE US WOULD MAKE THEM PRISONERS AND MEXICANS WANT TO ANNIHILATE THEM, SO THEY HIDE BETWEEN MEXICANS(INDIANS ASSIMILATED TO MEXICAN LIFESTYLE, BIG PERCENTAGE OF NDEH "CONVERTED" TO MEXICANS SINCE THE PRESIDIOS ERA) NOT MUCH MIXTURE WITH WHITES UNTIL MID 20TH CENTURY, MEXICO WAS VERY ELITIST ON SOCIAL CLASSES AND RACES.
4.-Now the fourth possibility is my favorite one, and probably wishful thinking. What if they are still there, living as peaceful nomads, hunters and gatherers, in the vast Sierra Madre? NICE BUT NOT FOR MUCH TIME! THEY EVENTUALLY BECAME "MEXICANS".
My Family is from Colonia Victoria Municipality of Ascencion Chihuahua, is on midway between Janos and Santa Rita del Cobre, we have around Florida Mountains, Mimbres River end, Laguna de Guzman, Laguna de Santa Maria, Cañon de Boca Grande, Mountain el Espia or Frijolar and it was an apache settlement called Carrizalillo because it was people that previously were on Presidio el Carrizal. This place is 1 1/2 hour dirve from Janos and the beginig of Sierra Madre with Carcay Mountain (Word deteriorated the other way, from Athabascan to Spanish) or Carcaj Mountain. Places full of apache hystory. We are Red People. Now I'm living at Samalayuca and first thing I can see every day at wakeup is Sierra de la Candelaria Peak.
If is of your interest I can have a list of places and events for the Nde on Chihuahua State specially Sierra Madre. and provide a lot more information. Just I don't know where to start.
Regards.