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by Chet Dembeck (Author), Geronimo Chiricahua (Author)
When you read the history of the Apache People, it is a bittersweet story that starts with the triumph of a group over the harsh elements of the Alaskan cold by migrating to the warm, fertile land of the Great Plains in 1,000 A.D. Yet, the one constant in the history of the Apache People is their constant struggle to survive in a world where they are surrounded by various enemies, including other Indian tribes, the Mexicans and finally their brutal nemesis the United States Army. Attacked, tricked, lied to and double crossed by all of those who surround and outnumber them, the Apache people continued their struggle until they were for all intent and purposes almost totally wiped out. One Apache's name stands out in their brave yet woeful history and it is Geronimo, who at age 30 witnessed the massacre of his mother, wife and two young children. I've taken his recollections or accounts of the struggle of the Apache people and intertwined them with some archeological facts about this extraordinary tribe. What impressed me most about Geronimo was his brevity of words, yet his ability to take a knife to the heart of anyone who reads his verbal history. Like most Apaches, Geronimo said little, but what he did say was profound and truthful. But most powerful is what Geronimo didn't say in his recollections. It is between this silence one can feel the pain, sorrow, pride and bravery of the Apache People.
Author Biography
Geronimo (Mescalero-Chiricahua one who yawns"; (June 16, 1829 - February 17, 1909) was a prominent Native American leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a battle with Mexican soldiers. His Chiricahua name is Goyathlay or Goyahkla in English.* After an attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children in 1858, Geronimo joined and launched revenge attacks on the Mexicans. During his career as a war chief, he was notorious for consistently urging raids upon Mexican Provinces and their towns, and later against American locations across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas. In 1886 Geronimo surrendered to U.S. authorities after a lengthy pursuit. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity and appeared in fairs, but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored. Geronimo died in 1909 from complications of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. * Source: Wikipedia
