About Geronimo
Geronimo is a legendary figure among the annals of American history. He is arguably the most well-known Native American figure ever to live. Geronimo was an Apache leader at the forefront of the Native American resistance movement that combated the ceaseless western expansion of people across North America.
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History
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In his native tongue, Geronimo's real name was "Goyaale." He was born June 16, 1829, and died on Feb. 17, 1909, at the age of 79. Geronimo was married at 17 and went on to father three children with his wife. A group of Mexican soldiers on a raid in 1851 would kill his wife, children and mother. This was the event that set Goyaale on his path of revenge against those who were encroaching on Apache lands. It was the Mexicans upon whom he took his first revenge and it was they who nicknamed him "Geronimo," comparing him to a Catholic saint, Saint Jerome.
Misconceptions
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It is commonly believed that Geronimo was an Apache chief, but that isn't factually correct. Although he was a kind of Apache leader, he never actually held the title of "chief." Instead, Geronimo was basically a military commander, a resistance leader, and a spiritual guide of sorts. Within American society, for example, he would have been considered a military general, not a politician. Geronimo was, for the majority of his life, a warrior above all else.
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Geography
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Geronimo was born in Gila River, Mexico, which is a part of modern-day New Mexico. He would die, of pneumonia, at Fort Sill, Okla., a military captive. During life, Geronimo and his men operated throughout a large area of Northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Their raids focused on areas within what is, today, known as New Mexico, but much of their military action also ranged outside of that precise area. All of their exploits are not geographically plotted exactly, even to this day.
Time Frame
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Geronimo led raids from 1851 all the way until 1886. He led raids against both Mexican forces and American ones, with the Mexican action taking place earlier. In 1886, Geronimo surrendered, finally stripped of the means to fight on any further, and his military exploits ended. He would, however, continue to gain notoriety within American society, becoming a celebrity of sorts in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Geronimo's fame lives on into modern times and will likely continue.
Significance
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The significance of Geronimo is that he exemplified the sort of noble, never-say-die attitude for which Apache warriors were generally famous. Though almost universally outnumbered, out-gunned, and out-supplied, Geronimo and his warriors led a successful guerrilla-warfare raid campaign for more than 30 years. It was only the full force of the United States military, turned against the Apaches following the Civil War, that would finally make it impossible for Geronimo and his Apache warriors to fight onward. It's a rather ironic statement that the man who, for many years, was the biggest obstacle to American westward expansion and was hated, would eventually come to be seen as a folk hero and a legend within that very society.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Edward S. Curtis, Public Domain
