Geronimo - Apache Leader

The name "Geronimo" is actually a name given to this Apache leader by the Mexicans he spent most of his life fighting. It's a reference to the Mexican pleas for Saint Jerome in a battle where Geronimo repeatedly attacked the Mexicans with a knife, ignoring a constant hail of bullets. Geronimo's Chiricahua Apache name is "Goyathlay."

Geronimo was a ruthless warrior, perhaps with good reason, as his entire family (wife, three children and mother) were murdered by Mexicans during a raid in 1851. For the next 25 years, he led ragged bands of Apaches in the mountains in the Arizona Territory until finally surrendering to US Calvary in 1886. He went on living in captivity, even appearing in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade, until he died in 1909 at the age of 79. After his capture, he was never allowed to return to his homelands. He was to eventually take on most of the white man's ways, including a conversion to Christianity.

One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Geronimo (and most Apaches for that matter) weren't above the torture and killing of innocents themselves. If you have time, you should listen to Dan Carlin's excellent podcast "Apache Tears"- at http://www.dancarlin.com/hhpage1.asp Look for show number 19. Carlin calls the Apache the "tigers of the human species" with good reason.

The sketch above is from a widely available photo of Geronimo taken shortly after his surrender (1887). I don't know about the sketch, but the photo certainly shows Geronimo's ferociousness, madness... maybe even a hint of sadness or hopelessness. I hope I've captured at least a bit of that here.