Geronimo

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For other uses, see Geronimo (disambiguation).
Geronimo
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Geronimo

Geronimo (Chiricahua Goyaałé 'One Who Yawns'; often spelled Goyathlay in English) (June 16, 1829–February 17, 1909) was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who warred against the encroachment of the United States on his tribal lands and people for over 25 years.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Geronimo, U.S. prisoner
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Geronimo, U.S. prisoner

Goyaałé (Geronimo) was born to the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache, near Turkey Creek, a tributary of the Gila River in what is now the state of Arizona, then part of Mexico, but which his family considered Bedonkohe land.

The orgins of his non-Apache nickname of "Gerónimo" are not really known. Some believe that his Spanish enemies called out to Saint Jerome for assistance while attacking or in the midst of violent defeat. Others believe it was a transcription of the Spanish attempt to pronounce the name Goyaałé and was given to him by friendly Mexican traders.

Geronimo's father, Tablishim, died when his son was a child, leaving Geronimo's mother, Juana, to educate him according to Apache traditions. He and his first wife had 3 children. In 1858, the Mexican military killed his family and others during a supposedly peaceful trading session. His chief, Mangas Coloradas sent him to Cochise's band for assistance in revenge against the Mexicans. While Geronimo says he was never a chief, he was from that point on, a definite military leader. As a Chiricahua Apache, this meant he was also a spiritual leader. He consistently urged raids and war upon many Mexican and later U.S. groups.

Ta-ayz-slath, wife of Geronimo, & child
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Ta-ayz-slath, wife of Geronimo, & child

While outnumbered, Geronimo fought against both Mexican and United States troops and became famous for his daring exploits and numerous escapes from capture from 1858 to 1886. At the end of his military career, he led a small band of 38 men, women and children. They evaded 5,000 U.S. troops (one fourth of the army at the time) and many units of the Mexican army for a year. His band was one of the last major forces of independent Indian warriors who refused to acknowledge the United States Government in the American West. This came to an end on September 4, 1886, when Geronimo surrendered to United States Army General Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. Geronimo and other warriors were sent as prisoners to Fort Pickens, Florida and his family to Fort Marion. They were reunited in May 1887, when they were transferred to Mt Vernon Barracks in Alabama for 5 years. In 1894 they were moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In his old age Geronimo became something of a celebrity. He appeared at fairs, including the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and selling souvenirs and photographs of himself. However, he was not allowed to return to the land of his birth. He rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade. He died of pneumonia at Fort Sill in 1909, and was buried at the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery there.

In 1905 Geronimo agreed to tell his story to S.M. Barrett, Superintendent of Education in Lawton OK. Barrett had to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt to gain permission to publish the book. Geronimo came to each interview knowing exactly what he wanted to say. He refused to answer questions or alter his narrative. Barrett did not seem to take many liberties with Geronimo's story as translated by Asa Daklugie. Frederick Turner re-edited this autobiography by removing some of Barrett's footnotes and writing an introduction for the non-Apache readers. Turner notes the book is in the style of an Apache reciting part of their rich oral history. [1].

Geronimo (right) and his warriors in 1886
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Geronimo (right) and his warriors in 1886

[edit] Religion

Geronimo was raised with the traditional religious view of the Native Americans but by his own testimony this system left many questions unanswered. In his 1903 autobiography he wrote, "As to the future state, the teachings of our tribe were not specific, that is, we had no definite idea of our relations and surroundings in after life. We believed that there is a life after this one, but no one ever told me as to what part of man lived after death...We held that the discharge of one's duty would make his future life more pleasant, but whether that future life was worse than this life or better, we did not know, and no one was able to tell us. We hoped that in the future life family and tribal relations would be resumed. In a way we believed this, but we did not know it."

Later in life Geronimo embraced Christianity, and stated, "Since my life as a prisoner has begun I have heard the teachings of the white man's religion, and in many respects believe it to be better than the religion of my fathers...Believing that in a wise way it is good to go to church, and that associating with Christians would improve my character, I have adopted the Christian religion. I believe that the church has helped me much during the short time I have been a member. I am not ashamed to be a Christian, and I am glad to know that the President of the United States is a Christian, for without the help of the Almighty I do not think he could rightly judge in ruling so many people. I have advised all of my people who are not Christians, to study that religion, because it seems to me the best religion in enabling one to live right."

[edit] Alleged theft of remains

In 1918, certain remains of Geronimo were apparently stolen in a grave robbery. Three members of the Yale secret society Skull and Bones – including Prescott Bush, father and grandfather of Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush respectively – served as Army volunteers at Fort Sill during World War I. They reportedly stole Geronimo's skull, some bones, and other items, including Geronimo's prized silver bridle, from the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery. The stolen items were alleged to have been taken to the society's tomb-like headquarters on the Yale University campus, and are supposedly used in rituals practiced by the group, one of which is said to be kissing the skull of Geronimo as an initiation. The story was known for many years but widely considered unlikely or apocryphal, and while the society itself remained silent, former members have said that they believed the bones were fake or non-human.

In a contemporary letter discovered by the Yale historian Marc Wortman and published in the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2006, society member Winter Mead wrote to F. Trubee Davison:

The skull of the worthy Geronimo the Terrible, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by your club... is now safe inside the tomb together with his well worn femurs, bit and saddle horn.[2]

This prompted the Indian chief's great-grandson, Harlyn Geronimo of Mescalero, New Mexico, to write to President Bush requesting his help in returning the remains:

According to our traditions the remains of this sort, especially in this state when the grave was desecrated ... need to be reburied with the proper rituals ... to return the dignity and let his spirits rest in peace.[3]

[edit] Geronimo in popular culture

Comic book Geronimo and his Apache Murderers
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Comic book Geronimo and his Apache Murderers

Geronimo is a popular figure in cinema and television. Characters based on Geronimo have appeared in many films, including:

In addition, the 1992 film Wind prominently features a fictional 12-metre America's Cup yacht named Geronimo.

Portrait of Geronimo by Edward S. Curtis, 1905.
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Portrait of Geronimo by Edward S. Curtis, 1905.

The character of Geronimo appeared in the 1979 film Mr. Horn, Tom Horn only is known to have met Geronimo on January 13, 1886 in the company of Lt. Maus two days after Capt. Emmet Crawford was shot.[1] Characterisations of Geronimo also appeared in Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (the 1990 reunion movie of television series Gunsmoke), and the 1993 telefilm Geronimo. The 1976 film I Due superpiedi quasi piatti features a character who believes himself to be Geronimo. The manga and anime television series Kinnikuman and Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy features a highly stereotyped native wrestler, based loosely on the historical figure.

In 1940, the night before their first mass jump, U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning saw a film about Geronimo, and began shouting his name during jumps, a trend which has caught on elsewhere. This custom is spoofed in the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux, when a planeload of parachuters jump out one by one, shouting, "Geronimo!" followed by a man dressed in Native American garb, who jumps out shouting, "Me!".

In Legends of the Hidden Temple, one of the artifacts was the Moccasins of Geronimo

In 1943 a U.S. Liberty ship named the SS Geronimo was launched. She was scrapped in 1960.

In 1971, Elton John released his Madman Across the Water album. In this album, there is a song titled "Indian Sunset" which mentions Geronimo.

In 1972, A&M Records released the debut album by Michael Martin Murphey entitled Geronimo’s Cadillac.

The Apache Software Foundation named a Web Application Server after this Indian leader; see Geronimo Application Server.

The Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America runs Camp Geronimo, near Pine, Arizona.

Two towns in the US, one in Oklahoma, another in Texas, are named for him.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] Bibliography

  • Opler, Morris E.; & French, David H. (1941). Myths and tales of the Chiricahua Apache Indians. Memoirs of the American folk-lore society, (Vol. 37). New York: American Folk-lore Society. (Reprinted in 1969 by New York: Kraus Reprint Co.; in 1970 by New York; in 1976 by Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint Co.; & in 1994 under M. E. Opler, Morris by Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-8602-3).
  • Pinnow, Jürgen. (1988). Die Sprache der Chiricahua-Apachen: Mit Seitenblicken auf das Mescalero [The language of the Chiricahua Apache: With side glances at the Mescalero]. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag.
  • Davis, Britton "The Truth about Geronimo" New Haven:Yale Press 1929
  • Bigelow, John Lt "On the Bloody Trail of Geronimo" New York:Tower Books 1958
  • Geronimo (edited by Barrett) "Geronimo, His Own Story" New York:Ballantine Books 1971

[edit] References

  1. ^ Turner, Frederick W. (1970) in his introduction to Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior Dutton, New York, ISBN 0-525-11308-8 ;
  2. ^ Lassila,Kathrin and Branch, Mark (2006). Whose Skull and Bones?. Yale Alumni Magazine. Retrieved on December 05, 2006.
  3. ^ Andrew Buncombe (2006). Geronimo's family call on Bush to help return his skeleton. The Independent. Retrieved on December 05, 2006.
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