Geronimo CHAPTER ONE The Making of a Warrior (Discipline) They Called Him Geronimo: What''s in a Name? GERONIMO WAS BORN in 1823 at the headwaters of the Gila River east of the border of present-day Arizona and New Mexico.I His Bedonkohe (pronounced Bed-on-koh-hey) Apache name was Goyahkla, meaning "One Who Yawns." But he wasn''t bored or boring. He was defiant, independent, and exceptional. The story of how he got his later name is a good one. In a revenge attack against the Mexicans, the young warrior Goyahkla fought like a fiend, rushing in repeatedly from cover, killing an enemy with every charge, and stealing the dead man''s rifle. Each time he came at them, the Mexicans cried out in terror, "Look out, Geronimo!"--mispronouncing his given name or calling out for the help of Saint Jerome (which translates in Spanish to "Geronimo"). His Apache people took up the battle cry, and "Goyahkla" became "Geronimo.
"1 During his raids and escapes across the American Southwest, the mention of his name had the power to enrage the highest brass of the U.S. military--including presidents--and to terrify white settlers who bolted their doors and windows and scribbled frantic letters to the White House begging for protection. Over time, Geronimo''s name has come to symbolize courage, daring, wild abandon, and leadership. Revering his courage, World War II paratroopers shouted "GERONIMO!" as they leaped from airplanes into battle. The first time I ever heard the name "Geronimo" was as a small child watching Bugs Bunny. I think it involved Yosemite Sam yelling "GERONIMO!" as he was preparing to pull one of his courageous and daring stunts. The last significant time I heard the name Geronimo was when U.
S. Navy SEALs moved in to kill Osama bin Laden. The mission was code-named "Geronimo," which caused considerable controversy. I can''t think of another historical figure whose name has withstood the test of time and been used in as many contexts as Geronimo''s. His name is consistently associated with courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. THE CHIRICAHUA APACHE BANDS AND THEIR RANGE Geronimo was a member of the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache. The Chiricahua--the most warlike of all the Apache tribes--were split up into local bands, each band following one or more chiefs. Before the whites came, the Chiricahua range included what is today called southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and the northern parts of the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua.
Geronimo''s Bedonkohe band was flanked by three other Chiricahua bands. Farthest south, below the border that in 1848 would divide the United States and Mexico, dwelled the Nednhi (Ned-nee) band. They inhabited the harsh, rugged terrain of the Sierra Madre in northern Sonora--a place Geronimo would come to deeply love and where he would spend much time. Southwest of the Bedonkohe--comprising the Dragoon and Chiricahua mountains and valleys in southeastern Arizona--lived the Chokonen (Cochise''s band--he would become their greatest chieftain). The Chihenne (Chee-hen-ee) band lived to the east, between the Mimbres River and the Rio Grande. They were called the "Red Paint People." The main bands were allies, and if necessary, they banded together in wartime when large numbers of warriors were needed. There were also subgroups within these main groups, with the Warm Springs band the most prominent of many Chihenne subgroups.
All of the bands had similar life-ways, cultural practices, and language. Not all the Apache tribes were friendly, however. The White Mountain Apache to the west--the largest division of the Western Apache--sometimes scrapped with the Chiricahua Apache; they raided each other''s lands and even stole each other''s women. But throughout most of Geronimo''s life, these groups all got along peacefully. During Geronimo''s lifetime, the entire Chiricahua tribe at its height--including all bands--numbered just three thousand people. (There were probably never more than ten to twelve thousand Apache living at any one time in their entire history.) The population in Geronimo''s day became severely depleted due to warfare, and later, as they succumbed to incarceration and disease. Sources: Mails, The People Called Apache, 11-17, 207-210.
Opler, An Apache Life-Way, 1-4. Sweeney, Cochise, 4-6. Utley, Geronimo, 7. There''s also a great summary from remaining Fort Sill Apache members on their tribal history: http://www.fortsillapache-nsn.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=6. WARRIOR TRAINING--ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE >>Pre-Warrior Training and Apprenticeship GERONIMO GREW UP on the middle fork of the Gila River, near the famous Gila cliff dwellings in southwestern New Mexico.
Geronimo and his people camped there, protected by towering canyon walls. By now the buffalo were all but gone, and the Apache had become mountain people, tough and adaptable, able to thrive in mountains other humans found unlivable. In winter they''d move to the lower valleys to hunt. Though nomadic, the Apache did tend small tracts of beans, corn, melons, and pumpkins, stashing their harvest in secret caves for the lean, harsh winters. Geronimo''s family lived in clusters of dome-shaped brush houses called wickiups, roofed with yucca-leaf strands. They also sometimes slept in taller, peak-shaped tepees like those used by Plains Indians. Geronimo recalled his childhood fondly: "As a babe I rolled on the dirt floor of my father''s tepee, hung in my tsoch [Apache name for cradleboard] at my mother''s back, or suspended from the bough of a tree. I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds, and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes.
"2 His mother taught him the legends of his people, stories about the sky and stars; his father told him of the brave deeds of their warriors, about hunting, and about the "glories of the warpath."3 From Geronimo''s earliest memories he was a warrior. He and the other boys played hide-and-seek among the rocks and cottonwoods along the river, pretending to be warriors. They practiced sneaking up on made-up enemies--rocks or trees--and hid for many hours, utterly silent, practicing the stealth and patience they would need when they became warriors. This early practice would pay dividends later. Geronimo''s entire boyhood was a long and rigorous apprenticeship in hunting, gathering, physical fitness, mental toughness, horsemanship, and warfare. To develop their deadly accuracy, the boys cut willow branches, then rolled little mud pellets in their hands and stuck them on the ends for spear points; these were whipped at birds on branches and rodents on the ground. They made slingshots from animal hide and sinew, and they shot bows and arrows from an early age, practicing hours on end for distance and accuracy.
They were so into shooting their arrows that they sometimes stayed out all day, never stopping, not even to eat.4 LESSON: Serve an apprenticeship to develop excellence and a useful set of skills. Geronimo could shoot a bow and arrow with skill by age five. He learned to hunt from his father and elder warriors, who taught him to crawl silently along the ground, snatching prey with his hands. To celebrate his first kill, he ate the animal''s raw heart, showing it respect and gaining his adversary''s strength. To stalk larger game like deer and antelope, he learned how to crawl along the ground for hours wearing the hide, head, and antlers of a deer or antelope as a disguise. He studied his prey''s habits, knew what they ate and where they grazed, knew their different tracks. He hunted rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, and grouse too.
Geronimo learned to build small fires at night to lure bats, then heave his moccasins at the creatures in flight with enough accuracy to knock them to the ground--he''d then pounce on them and kill them with his bare hands.5 I really like the Apache technique for hunting ducks--it''s innovative. In early winter, when ducks tend to flock in huge numbers on lakes, the Apache would take hundreds of gourds--dried and hollowed-out pumpkins and big squash--and set them afloat on the lakes. The gourds would blow across the lake and the Apache would go over and retrieve them, then repeat the process. At first the gourds would startle the ducks and they''d fly off. But over time the ducks would get used to the gourds bobbing along the water and floating past. Once the ducks had learned not to fear the gourds, the Apache would take gourds and cut holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Then they''d wade neck deep into the water, with only their gourd-head poking out above the surface.
They''d sneak up on the ducks while imitating the bobbing gourd motion with their heads; when close enough, they''d drag the ducks under water by their feet and stuff them in a bag. It was ingenious and highly effective.6 LESSON: Be physically better than others and take pride in your physical and mental well-being. >>Warrior Training WARRIOR TRAINING WAS brutal. Geronimo had to w.