geronimo essays

geronimo essays Summary: Geronimo and the Apache Resistance The Myth about Geronimo portrays him as an implacable savage, but in reality he is a man that risked everything including his family, his land, his home, and his way of life to fight for his beliefs. He is said to have magical powers. He can see into the future, walk without leaving any footprints, and he can even hold off the dawn to protect his own. Geronimo is a Cheewakawa Apache, and for twenty-five years this warrior has defied federal authority with his band of thirty-seven followers. The Cheewakawa are nomadic hunters, gatherers, and warriors that call themselves the people. It is believed that there is a single Apache Nation, but there are, rather, many single groups spread across the Southwest. One of these groups is the Cheewakawa Apache. They fight only to survive and defend the rights of their land, they never want war. The Apache do not permit any challenges to the rights of their land. Geronimo is also falsely believed to be a warrior chief, when in fact, he is a Medicine Man and the influential mentor of Nichee the true hereditary leader of their people. Geronimo is a holy man with access to the supernatural power in the land. The Apache are inseparable to the natural world which is beauty, harmony, and the power infested with life. The dominant society (settlers) label them as raiders, thieves, savages, and warring people. But these means are necessary in order to survive, and that is what the whites do not understand. The year is 1800, and the Mexican border is as far north as the Apache camps. However, Mexico does not recognize the rights of the Apache and their land, and as a result, there is constant conflict between the inhabitants. In 1840, the Apache are facing near extermination because they will not surrender their land or their way of life. And now, bounty hunters now earn $100 for male Apache scalps, $50 for female Apache scalps, a ...