Charles S

3rd hour

3/26/11

Geronimo; Leader, Warrior, Friend
Draft

Geronimo was a native American who hailed from the Apache tribe. During his great raids and campaigns, he earned a place among many of the 1900’s most charismatic icons. His bearing, personality and abilities set him apart from other men and women of the century. He fought, mourned and loved with an intensity that captured the imaginations of people. Even today, almost 200 year later, he remains to be the embodiment of the fighting Indian.

Geronimo was born somewhere near the Arizona-Mexico border to two proud parents, Taklishim and Juana. He was born with the rather unflattering name of Goyathlay. When translated from Apache dialects, it means “One who yawns”. This name suggests that he was a impatient and carefree child. Although he had faults, he was an enjoyable child and skilled at games the Apaches created to teach life lessons. These games included stomach crawls, tracking and shooting games.

To the Apaches, there were few larger duties or privileges to being a warrior. It was a great honor but also a horrible duty. In times of war, the warriors were almost constantly on the trail and warpath. During peacetime, warriors were held in great esteem by fellow tribe members. The Apache warriors were said to be the best marksmen in North America and this title was well earned.

When Goyathlay or Geronimo earned the title of warrior, he began fighting with other Apache chiefs such as Victorino of the warm springs Apache or chief Mangas Coloradas of the copper mines Apache. While serving with Managas, or “Red sleeves,” Geronimo experienced some of the problems the white men caused. These experiences aided him on the journeys and campaigns he led later in life.  

In 1854 at the age of 24, Goyathay married a young, beautiful Apache woman and had three children. Her name was Alope. This union lasted for four years until during one trip into southern Mexico, a Mexican Colonel, José María Carrasco attacked the peaceful Apaches and in a massacre called Kas-Ki-Yeh and killed Goyathay’s wife, mother and children.

Goyathay stumbled home and burned everything of his family he owned. He petitioned his tribal leaders to lead the tribe on a war path and he was allowed to in the year 1859. A group of fighters from four Apache tribes was assembled and marched into Mexico very close to the anniversary of the massacre of Kas-ki-yeh. They found the soldiers who committed the genocide and killed them in a great battle. The raid was a success and quenched the Apache’s thirst for blood for almost two years.

Another notable fact was that during this raid, Geronimo earned this name because of how he charged into the fray with bullets whistling around him, seemingly invincible in his blood-lust. The Mexican soldiers who observed this were said to pray to saint Jerome for guidance. This earned him the nickname of Geronimo from the Mexicans.

Geronimo was one of the Apache Indians of the southwest. The Apache were well known for being fierce fighters and renowned marksmen. He was the cream of the crop and in Apache society, that was saying a lot. The Apache taught survival techniques from birth and were brilliant survivalists. They could run over desert terrain for days and stop only to eat. These characteristics allowed the Apache to be some of the most feared guerrilla warriors in history. When attacked, the Apache often would seemingly disappear into their surroundings and could hold off a force twice the size of them for days.

When Geronimo was finally captured by General Crooke around 1887, one of his soldiers remarked, “Few have seen marksmen to this prowess since Robin Hood.” This distinction was well earned and obviously, the Apaches worked hard for it.

Although these stories are truly remarkable, there are many accounts about the Apache that are not true. Rumors were started about scalping and these kinds of stories sold. Because horrible accounts of bloodthirsty Indians sold, Geronimo himself placed accounts of false scalping in his autobiography. The news sources of the day were also known for putting in accounts of Indians who would kill anyone who crossed their paths. These accounts combined to make a dangerous and simply incorrect view of Indians being animals who deserved to be put on reservations instead of be accepted into 19th century society.

Great Apache chiefs include chief Victorino, Chief Lozen or Chief Nana. Victorino was a brilliant strategist who fought with such a ferocity, he earned the nickname “the immortal  man.” Chief Nana led Victorino’s tribe after Victorino was captured and at the age of 75 with “Hands so stricken with arthritis he could barely pull the trigger of a gun,” he led a band of15 or so men on a war path that evaded more than 1,00 men and defeated  the US cavalry several times.

These stories of victories fueled the Apache to fight with great ferocity that was noted by people on both sides of the conflict, both Native American and settlers. They were great fighters, strategists and highly driven to kill. Geronimo was a chief of one of the most deadly groups of people ever seen and was searching for revenge.  These dangerous traits combined to make one of the most dangerous men in history.

Although Geronimo was a great fighter, came from a smashing tribe, and was driven to kill, he also had powerful enemies. One of these enemies was general George Crook, a civil war veteran who was thought of by Indians to be the embodiment of a grey wolf. This earned him the nickname “Nantan Lupan” or grey wolf.  By all accounts, he was a cultured and respectable man. Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota once said that "Crook never lied to us. His words gave the people hope." Crook was sickened by how the US government treated the Indians and once said, "When they were pushed beyond endurance and would go on the warpath, we had to fight when our sympathies were with the Indians." He was well known for his Indian fighting tactics and although he graduated near the bottom of his class at West Point, he was one of the most effective Indian fighters the US had in the 19Th century.

Geronimo was constantly suggesting raids into Mexican Territory and was especially fierce during these such raids. This enmity with the Mexicans was mainly because of the death of his family at the hand of colonel José María Carrasco but historians today discuss if he had some ulterior motives to hate Mexicans.

Although Geronimo had powerful enemies, he also had a great base of strong allies to back him up in his ventures. Among them was Lozen who originally a medicine woman who was by all accounts more useful to Geronimo than many of his men. Geronimo once said "Lozen is my right hand... strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people." This suggests that Lozen was a noteworthy warrior and genius strategist.

She, Lozen was also said to be a brilliant survivalist just like many other Apaches before her. A story is told that Lozen was once on a raiding party when a woman who came along went into labor. She stopped, told the group she would catch up with them and then delivered the baby. She then had to steal supplies for her journey from Mexican soldiers in the area. She and the woman then crossed a desert with little more than a knife, canteen andhorse in little more than three days.

Another ally of Geronimo was Chief Cochise. He was a peaceful Chief and let white men cross over his land for most of his life. This placid peace lasted until a US army officer attempted to arrest him in connection to the kidnapping of a 12 year old boy. Cochise then killed the officer and went on a killing spree upon the settlers who still believed it was safe to cross the Apache lands.

Mangas Colorados was another Apache Chief who attempted to let Whites cross his land. He was an imposing man and was a great warrior until he was lured into a trap by several miners and soldiers. He was then killed and served as a reminder of what the whites could do to Indians.

Victorino was a great chief who served with Geronimo several times and was like a brother to him. He tried to live on a reservation for a time but when whites realized the Indians had profitable land, they moved in and Victorino and his tribe were forcibly removed. Victorino then led a raiding party that struck out at white settlers from several mountain camps. He earned the nickname “The invincible man,” and proved to be a ruthless fighter. He also led the Alma massacre and had a bounty placed on his head by both the US and Mexican governments.

Geronimo was an eminent fighter who hailed from a notable tribe. He gained favorable experiences, learned many things and made powerful friends during his young life. He was trained, driven and possessed a spark in him that set him apart from other people of his age. Geronimo triumphed for a long time under almost impossible odds, against tremendous enemies and with little more than a small band of experienced, trained  warriors from his home camp. He was a guerrilla fighter who combated one of the best equipped armies of an epoch which held the civil war. He was a great leader, warrior and father to his tribe and lives on today in the hearts of people everywhere.  

OUTLINE
I. Life
    A. Geronimo’s father, Taklishim   

B. Geronimo’s mother, Juana

    C. He was first called Goyathlay
    D. He was highly impatient to become an Apache warrior
    E. Was an impatient and carefree child
    F. Served with chiefs Cochise, Mangas and Coloradas
    G. Married Alope at 24 years old and had 3 children
    H. In 1858, his entire family was murdered by Mexican soldiers while in northern Mexico
    I. Led a raid on the soldiers who killed his family
    J. Geronimo’s first taste of combat was when he was guarding horses and he was attacked
II. Tribe
    A. From birth, Apaches were trained in survival techniques
    B. Apache warriors were trained to fight using guerrilla tactics
    C. It was said that “Few had seen such marksmen since Robin Hood and his gang as skilled as the Apaches captured with Geronimo.”
    D. Great chiefs such as Lozen or Victorino led the Apaches in battle and earned nicknames such as “the indestructible man” or “Untouchable”.
    E. Many false rumors have been started about the Apaches.
    F. Rumors include that Geronimo was wearing a blanket of human scalps while the Apache rarely if ever scalped humans.
III. Enemies
    A. General George Crook was respected by the Apache and was nicknamed “Nantan Lupan”.
    B. Crook was a clever man and one of the few white men who was straight with the Indians
    C. Geronimo hated Mexican soldiers because of what they did to his family and tribe

D. White settlers feared Geronimo and his Apache warriors

IV. Allies
    A. Lozen, sister of Chief Victorino was medicine woman of the warm springs Apaches and stayed with Geronimo until the bitter end.

B. Lozen was a skilled tracker as well as a brilliant survivalist

C. Chief Cochise was an Apache leader who let white men travel through his lands and was mostly friendly.

D. Cochise allowed this to happen until a US officer tried to arrest him for the kidnap of a 12 year old boy.

E. Cochise went on a killing spree of settlers who still thought it was safe to cross his borders

F. Mangas Coloradas was a peace loving Chief who let white men cross his borders

G. Mangas was too trusting and was lured to his demise by a group of soldiers and miners

H. Victorino was forced to leave his lands when treaties were broken

I. Victorino was a powerful fighter and a strategist who gained the nickname “the warrior who cannot be killed”

J. Nana became chief of the warm springs Apaches when Victorino was killed

K. At the age of 75, Nana led 15 warriors on a raiding trip that defeated the US cavalry several times and eluded more than one thousand men

Works Cited

Fighting Indians of America

David C. Cooke

1954, NYC Dodd & Meade co.

Geronimo and the Apache Indians

Cobblestone Magazine

November, 1996

The Geronimo Campaign

By Odie Faulk

1969, NYC, Oxford publishers

Geronimo: His Own Story

FirstPeople.us: first people

April 22 2011

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/Geronimo_His_Own_Story_1c.html

The Great Chiefs

by Benjamin Capps

1975, Alexandria Virginia Time-Life books

Indian Friends and Foes

By Dorthy Heiderstudt

1958, NYC, McKay co.

Informational Video on Geronimo

Fliqz has shut down their service. To access this video, email support with this video id: bb1a85c58c6f44cdb0c8bf964b5188b6

           

We all started our lives in a mess of a world. Jason stared his life during the fall of the Brazilian empire in the year 2036. Although he stared his life out badly, he soon grew to be the smartest toddler on the planet. He knew everything he needed to at the age of 5. By the time he was 6, his IQ was above 124 points and the end was no longer in sight. He read his first book at the age of 3 and graduated from the local high school at 7 years old.

    However, to everyone who knew him, he completely disappeared the year he finished his PHD in zoological physics and physics. People thought he had gone crazy and moved into the plains of Kansas to die a hermit.
    In reality, he had simply jumped onto a plane that would take him to London where he would write papers for scientific newspapers and start a private accounting service. It had been a simple matter to sneak through the airport security and jump into the baggage section of a plane to obtain a free journey to Heathrow airport.    
    The flight had been a nightmare and Jason almost wished he’d paid the 300 dollar fee to ride first class. However, he hadn’t bothered to so naturally he spent the rest of the trip in horrible discomfort.
    When the plane landed, Jason got out as quietly as possible and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was over 40 degrees and although the sun had set, the temperature wasn’t dropping at all.
    Running over the tarmac, Jason could swear he felt the cameras watching him. However, the wind and the feeling of freedom was overpowering and for the first time in his life, he felt completely free.

“Are you sure he’s the one for the job?” “Trust me, if this kid can’t do it, no one can.” “All right, I'll send Sargent Gonzales to pick him up.”

    Jason knew he was in trouble the second he saw the green and blue flashing lights of the military police. He thought he must have been set up by someone. He had no idea why or how, but the fact still remained, he was unlikely to even see sunlight for the rest of his life if he could be charged with breaking into a military airbase. He needed an escape route, but before he could see one, men wearing chameleon suits poured out onto the asphalt and formed a circle around him. “What do you want,” yelled Jason. The men didn’t answer, but they parted to allow a man wearing a Sargent's uniform enter the circle. The man looked like a movie star with perfect teeth, aviator sunglasses and a perfectly tailored uniform. When he smiled toward Jason, he could almost feel the ice emanating from the man’s cold eyes. Why would he have glasses in the darkness, Jason wondered. He knew immediately that they, whoever they were wouldn’t send the man who had been in every army commercial for the past 5 years just to capture a adolescent trespasser.
    “I know that you know that we aren’t here just because you broke into a airbase. So, I'll just get to the point. We want you to join the 256th iron man division for us. “What,” asked Jason. “There’s a branch of the US army that develops new technology and tests it in the field. The iron man project was covered by that branch. Now, we get to use the iron man suits in extremely hostile situations. However, there is a structural flaw that causes the suit to malfunction if anyone over 5 feet 6 inches to attempt to use it. So, that brings us back to you, you have a choice to make. Either you join up or you don’t.
    “What happens if i choose not to join,” Jason asked. “You will be deported and sent home in chains.” “All right,” Jason said.
    Jason spent the next three months getting acquainted with his other three soldiers and the suits that would very likely save his life.
     Tex was a boy who just like Jason who had been picked up off the streets of Dallas. Jacob tried to join up even though he was far too young, yet somehow he still made ti in even though it was obvious he was too young. Ben was an excellent soldier yet he never told anyone who he was or how he joined the iron man division.
    Finally, the time to be deployed. The men piled onto the stealth bomber that was used only for highly hostile. It was the type of bomber that only shot down if someone knew it was coming.
    As they approached the drop location, Jason and his men were becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second. Suddenly, there was a huge crash followed by a boom. As seconds passed, Jason could hear the voices of his men as they were overcome by the explosion, and finally, the darkness that grips a man in his last moment of life. Then, Jason felt a jerk in his stomach and saw no more.

Sal's place

Black Hills, ND

The Black Hills are an isolated range of hills in North Dakota. They hold a special value to Sal because her mother Chanhassan, was a Seneca American Indian. The Black Hills have always held a certain value to American Indians because it was believed by the Lakota to be the place in the earth where people first sprang out. In 1874, a contingent of surveyors were sent to search for gold, they found lots of it. Within 20 years, the US government assumed control of the hills. The US offered an initial offer of 107 million dollars for the hills, but were turned down by the Indian tribes. To this day, the offer has grown to 700+ million dollars, but the Native Americans believe that it would be wrong to accept the money because they still accept the black hills as a cultural and spiritual home. To this day, the Black Hills are a beautiful and iconic landmark in North Dakota.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills

http://www.movingtofreedom.org/images/2006/11/030728-South-Dakota-Black-Hills-Custer-State-Park-Sylvan-Lake--by-Scott-Carpenter-cc-by-sa-25.jpg

MY PLACE

Phillmont, New Mexico

Phillmont is a Boy Scout high adventure base that is in New Mexico. It is well known for beautiful hikes, wonderful scenery and a trash free wilderness. The Boy Scouts of America founded it in 1938 after a wealthy and sympathetic businessman donated the land by the name of Waite Phillips. The scout ranch is located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico. The official name is Phillmont Scout Ranch. It is a beautiful, rugged land with many wonderful camping or hiking opportunities. One of the wonderful things about Phillmont is that the owners do not allow any motorized vehicles on the ranch, so Phillmont often gives wonderful opportunities for ranching, horse riding and lessons on horse care. The Phillmont grace is as follows; For food, for raiment,
For life, for opportunity,
For friendship and fellowship,
We thank Thee, O Lord. Amen.