March 27, 2022 • 27 mins
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(00:00):
Section two of Geronimo's Story of hisLife. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the publicdomain. For more information or a volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recordingby Sue Anderson. Geronimo's Story of
his Life by Geronimo, transcribed byS. M. Barrett and translated by
(00:26):
asadek Luji. Section two, Parttwo of the Apaches, Chapter four tribal
amusements, manners, and customs.To celebrate each noted event, a feast
and dance would be given. Perhapsonly our own people, perhaps neighboring tribes
(00:47):
would be invited. These festivities usuallylasted for about four days. By day,
we feasted. By night, underthe direction of some chief, we
danced. The music for our dancewas singing, led by the warriors and
accompanied by beating the esadadeni buckskin ona hoop. No words were sung,
(01:08):
only the tones. When the feastingand dancing were over, we would have
horse races, foot races, wrestling, jumping, and all sorts of games
gambling. Among these games, themost noted was the tribal game of k
foot. It is played as follows. Four moccasins are placed about four feet
(01:30):
apart in holes in the ground,dug in a row on one side of
the camp and on the opposite sidea similar parallel row. At night,
a camp fire is started between thesetwo rows of moccasins, and the players
are arranged on sides, one orany number on each side. The score
(01:53):
is kept by a bundle of sticks, from which each side takes a stick
for every point one first, oneside takes the bone, a symbol of
the white rock used by the eaglein slaying the nameless Monster, puts up
blankets between the four moccasins and thefire so that the opposing team cannot observe
(02:13):
their movements, and then begin tosing the legends of Creation. The side
having the bone represents the feathered tribe, the opposite side represents the beasts.
The players representing the birds do allthe singing and whilest singing, hide the
bone in one of the moccasins.Then the blankets are thrown down. They
(02:37):
continue to sing, but as soonas the blankets are thrown down, the
chosen player from the opposing team,armed with a war club, comes to
their side of the camp fire,and with his club strikes the moccasin in
which he thinks the bone is hidden. If he strikes the right moccasin,
his side gets the bone and inturn represents the birds, while the opposing
(03:02):
team must keep quiet and guess.In turn. There are only four plays,
three that lose, and one thatwins. When all the sticks are
gone from the bundle, the sidehaving the largest number of sticks is counted
winner. This game is seldom playedexcept as a gambling game, but for
(03:23):
that purpose it is the most populargame known to the tribe. Usually the
game lasts four or five hours.It is never played in daytime. After
the games are all finished, thevisitors say, we are satisfied, and
the camp is broken up. Iwas always glad when the dances and feasts
(03:45):
were announced, so were all theother young people. Our life also had
a religious side. We had nochurches, no religious organizations, no Sabbath
Day, no holidays, and yetwe worshiped. Sometimes the whole tribe would
assemble to sing and pray, sometimesa smaller number, perhaps only two or
(04:08):
three. The songs had a fewwords, but were not formal. The
singer would occasionally put in such wordsas he wished instead of the usual tone
sound. Sometimes we prayed in silence. Sometimes each one prayed aloud. Sometimes
an aged person prayed for all ofus. At other times one would rise
(04:31):
and speak to us of our dutiesto each other and to usen our services
were short. When disease or pestilenceabounded, we were assembled and questioned by
our leaders to ascertain what evil wehad done and how usun could be satisfied.
Sometimes sacrifice was deemed necessary. Sometimesthe offending one was punished. If
(04:59):
an Apache I allowed his aged parentsto suffer for food or shelter, if
he had neglected or abused the sick, if he had profaned our religion,
or had been unfaithful, he mightbe banished from the tribe. The Apaches
had no prisons as white men have. Instead of sending their criminals into prison,
(05:21):
they sent them out of their tribe. These faithless, cruel, lazy,
or cowardly members of the tribe wereexcluded in such a manner that they
could not join any other tribe.Neither could they have any protection from our
unwritten tribal laws. Frequently, theseoutlaw Indians banded together and committed depredations,
(05:46):
which were charged against the regular tribe. However, the life of an outlaw
Indian was a hard lot, andtheir bands never became very large. Besides,
these bands frequently evoke the wrath ofthe tribe and secured their own destruction.
When I was about eight or tenyears old, I began to follow
(06:10):
the chase, and to me thiswas never work out. On the prairies
which ran up to our mountain homes, wandered herds of deer, antelope,
elk, and buffalo to be slaughteredwhen we needed them. Usually we hunted
buffalo on horseback, killing them witharrows and spears. Their skins were used
(06:32):
to make teepees and bedding, theirflesh to eat. It required more skill
to hunt the deer than any otheranimal. We never tried to approach a
deer except against the wind. Frequentlywe would spend hours in stealing upon some
grazing deer. If they were inthe open, we would crawl long distances
(06:55):
on the ground, keeping a weedor brush before us so that our approach
would not be noticed. Often wewould kill several out of one herd before
the others would run away. Theirflesh was dried and packed in vessels and
would keep in this condition for manymonths. The hide of the deer was
soaked in water and ashes and thehair removed, and then the process of
(07:21):
tanning continued until the buckskin was softand pliable. Perhaps no other animal was
more valuable to us than the deer. In the forests and along the streams
were many wild turkeys. These wewould drive to the plains, then slowly
ride up toward them until they werealmost tired out. When they began to
(07:45):
drop and hide, we would ridein upon them and by swinging from the
side of our horses, catch them. If one started to fly, we
would ride swiftly under him and killhim with a short stick or hunting club.
In this way, we could usuallyget as many wild turkeys as we
could carry home on a horse.There were many rabbits in our range,
(08:09):
and we also hunted them on horseback. Our horses were trained to follow the
rabbit at full speed, and asthey approached them, we would swing from
one side of the horse and strikethe rabbit with our hunting club. If
he was too far away, wewould throw the stick and kill him.
This was great sport when we wereboys, but as warriors, we seldom
(08:33):
hunted small game. There were manyfish in the streams but as we did
not eat them, we did nottry to catch or kill them. Small
boys sometimes threw stones at them orshot at them for practice with their bows
and arrows. Yusin did not intendsnakes, frogs, or fishes to be
(08:54):
eaten. I have never eaten ofthem. There were many eagles in the
mountains. These we hunted for theirfeathers. It required great skill to steal
upon an eagle, for besides havingsharp eyes, he is wise and never
stops at any place where he doesnot have a good view of the surrounding
(09:16):
country. I have killed many bearswith a spear, but was never injured
in a fight with one. Ihave killed several mountain lions with arrows and
one with a spear. Both bearsand mountain lions are good for food and
valuable for their skin. When wekilled them, we carried them home on
our horses. We often made quiversfor our arrows from the skin of the
(09:39):
mountain lion. These were very prettyand very durable. During my minority,
we had never seen a missionary ora priest. We had never seen a
white man. Thus quietly lived thebadonkahey Apaches. Chapter five. The family.
(10:01):
My grandfather Mako had been our chief. I never saw him, but
my father often told me of thegreat size, strength, and sagacity of
this old warrior. Their principal warshad been with the Mexicans. They had
some wars with other tribes of Indiansalso, but were seldom at peace for
any great length of time with theMexican towns. Mako died when my father
(10:26):
was but a young warrior, andMangus Colorado became chief of the bedoncaget Apaches
when I was but a small boy. My father died after having been sick
for some time. When he passedaway carefully, the watchers closed his eyes.
Then they arrayed him in his bestclothes, painted his face afresh,
(10:48):
wrapped a rich blanket around him,saddled his favorite horse, bore his arms
in front of him, and ledhis horse behind, repeating in wailing tones
his deeds of valor as they carriedhis body to a cave in the mountain.
Then they slew his horses, andwe gave away all of his other
(11:11):
property, as was customary in ourtribe, after which his body was deposited
in the cave, his arms besidehim. His grave is hidden by piles
of stone, wrapped in splendor.He lies in seclusion, and the winds
in the pines sing a low requiemover the dead warrior. After my father's
(11:35):
death, I assumed the care ofmy mother. She never married again,
although according to the customs of ourtribe, she might have done so immediately
after his death. Usually, however, the widow who has children remained single
after her husband's death for two orthree years, but the widow without children
(11:56):
marries again immediately After a warrior death, his widow returns to her people and
may be given away or sold byher father or brothers. My mother chose
to live with me, and shenever desired to marry again. We lived
near our old home and I supportedher. In eighteen forty six, being
(12:20):
seventeen years of age, I wasadmitted to the Council of the Warriors.
Then I was very happy, forI could go wherever I wanted and do
whatever I liked. I had notbeen under the control of any individual,
but the customs of our tribe prohibitedme from sharing the glories of the war
path until the council admitted me whenopportunity offered. After this, I could
(12:46):
go on the war path with mytribe. This would be glorious. I
hoped soon to serve my people inbattle. I had long desired to fight
with our warriors. Perhaps the greatestjoy to me was that now I could
marry the fair Alope, daughter ofNeposto. She was a slender, delicate
(13:07):
girl. But we had been loversfor a long time. So as soon
as the council granted me these privileges, I went to see her father concerning
our marriage. Perhaps our love wasof no interest to him, Perhaps he
wanted to keep Alope with him,for she was a dutiful daughter. At
any rate, he asked many poniesfor her. I made no reply,
(13:33):
but in a few days appeared beforehis wigwam with the herd of ponies and
took with me Alope. This wasall the married ceremony necessary in our tribe.
Not far from my mother's teepee,I had made for us a new
home. The teepee was made ofbuffalo hides, and in it were many
bare rogues, lion hides, andother trophies of the chase, as well
(13:58):
as my spears, bows and arrows. Alope had made many little decorations of
beads and drawn work on buckskin,which she placed in our teepee. She
also drew many pictures on the wallsof our home. She was a good
wife, but she was never strong. We followed the traditions of our fathers
(14:20):
and were happy. Three children cameto us, children that played, loitered
and worked as I had done.Chapter six, Caskilla. In the summer
of eighteen fifty eight, being atpeace with the Mexican towns as well as
with all the neighboring Indian tribes,we went south into Old Mexico to trade
(14:43):
our whole tribe, but don qujetApaches went through Sonora towards Casa Grande,
our destination, But just before reachingthat place, we stopped at another Mexican
town called by the Indians Caskiya.Here we stayed for several days, camping
just outside the city. Every daywe would go into town to trade,
(15:07):
leaving our camp under the protection ofa small guard so that our arms,
supplies, and women and children wouldnot be disturbed during our absence. Late
one afternoon, when returning from town, we were met by a few women
and children who told us that theMexican troops from some other town had attacked
(15:30):
our camp, killed all the warriorsof the guard, captured all our ponies,
secured our arms, destroyed our supplies, and killed many of our women
and children. Quickly we separated,concealing ourselves as best we could, until
nightfall, when we assembled at ourappointed place of rendezvous, a thicket by
(15:54):
the river. Silently we stole inone by one sent those were placed,
and when all were counted, Ifound that my aged mother, my young
wife, and my three small childrenwere among the slain. There were no
lights in camp, so without beingnoticed, I silently turned away and stood
(16:18):
by the river. How long Istood there, I do not know,
but when I saw the warriors arrangingfor a council, I took my place.
That night, I did not givemy vote for or against any measure,
but it was decided that as therewere only eighty warriors left, and
(16:41):
as we were without arms or supplies, and were furthermore surrounded by the Mexicans
far inside their own territory, wecould not hope to fight successfully. So
our chief, Mangus Colorado, gavethe order to start at once in perfect
silence for our homes in Arizona,leaving the dead upon the field. I
(17:07):
stood until all had passed, hardlyknowing what I would do. I had
no weapon, nor did I hardlywish to fight. Neither did I contemplate
recovering the bodies of my loved ones, for that was forbidden. I did
not pray, nor did I resolveto do anything in particular, for I
(17:32):
had no purpose left. I finallyfollowed the tribe silently, keeping just within
hearing distance of the soft noise ofthe feet of the retreating apaches. The
next morning, some of the Indianskilled a small amount of game, and
we halted long enough for the tribeto cook and eat. When the march
(17:52):
was resumed. I had killed nogame and did not eat. During the
first as well as while we werecamped at this place, I spoke to
no one, and no one spoketo me. There was nothing to say.
For two days and three nights wewere on forced marches, stopping only
(18:15):
for meals. Then we made acamp near the Mexican border, where we
rested two days. Here I tooksome food and talked with the other Indians
who had lost in the massacre,but none had lost as I had,
for I had lost all. Withina few days we arrived at our own
(18:36):
settlement. There were the decorations thatAlope had made, and there were the
playthings of our little ones. Iburned them all, even our teepee.
I also burned my mother's teepee anddestroyed all her property. I was never
again contented in our quiet home.True I could visit my father's grave,
(19:00):
but I had vowed vengeance upon theMexican troopers who had wronged me, And
whenever I came near his grave orsaw anything to remind me of my former
happy days, my heart would achefor revenge upon Mexico. As soon as
we had again collected some arms andsupplies Mangus Colorado, our chief called a
(19:26):
consul and found that all our warriorswere willing to take the war path against
Mexico. I was appointed to solicitthe aid of other tribes in this war.
When I went to the Jaconan ChiracawaApaches Cochise, their chief called a
council at early dawn. Silently,the warriors assembled at an open place in
(19:48):
a mountain dell and took their seatson the ground, arranged in rows according
to their ranks. Silently they satsmoking. At a signal from the chief,
I arose and presented my cause asfollows. Kinsmen. You have heard
what the Mexicans have recently done withoutcause. You are my relatives, uncles,
(20:12):
cousins, brothers. We are menthe same as the Mexicans are.
We can do to them what theyhave done to us. Let us go
forward and trail them. I willlead you to their city. We will
attack them in their homes. Iwill fight in the front of the battle.
(20:33):
I only ask you to follow meto avenge this wrong done by these
Mexicans. Will you come? Itis well, you will all come.
Remember the rule in war, menmay return or they may be killed.
If any of these young men arekilled, I want no blame from their
kinsmen, for they themselves have chosento go. If I am killed,
(21:00):
no one need mourn for me.My people have all been killed in that
country, and I too will dieif need be. I returned to my
own settlement, reported this success tomy chieftain, and immediately departed to the
southward into the land of the netnay Apaches. Their chief whole heard me
(21:22):
without comment, but he immediately issuedorders for a council, and when all
were ready, gave a sign thatI might speak I addressed them as I
had addressed the Jaconan tribe, andthey also promised to help us. It
was in the summer of eighteen fiftynine, almost a year from the date
of the massacre of Caskiya, thatthese three tribes were assembled on the Mexican
(21:48):
border to go upon the war path. Their faces were painted, the war
bands fastened upon their brows, theirlong scalp locks ready for the hand and
knife of the warrior who would overcomethem. Their families had been hidden away
in a mountain rendezvous near the Mexicanborder. With these families, a guard
(22:10):
was posted and a number of placesof rendezvous designated in case the camp should
be disturbed. When all were ready, the chieftains gave command to go forward.
None of us were mounted, andeach warrior wore moccasins and also a
cloth wrapped about his loins. Thiscloth could be spread over him when he
slept, and when on the march, would be ample protection as clothing in
(22:36):
battle. If the fight was hard, we did not wish much clothing.
Each warrior carried three days rations,but as we often killed game while on
the march, we seldom were withoutfood. We traveled in three divisions,
the Badonkahey Apaches led by Mangus Colorado, the Chaconan apaches by Cochise, and
(23:00):
at night apaches by ho However,there was no regular order inside the separate
tribes. We usually marched about fourteenhours per day, making three stops for
meals, and traveling forty to fortyfive miles a day. I acted as
guide into Mexico, and we followedthe river courses and mountain ranges because we
(23:22):
could better thereby keep our movements concealed. We entered Sonora and went southward past
Kitako, Nakazati, and many smallersettlements. When we were almost at Arispe,
we camped and eight men rode outfrom the city to parley with us.
These we captured, killed, andscalped. This was to draw the
(23:47):
troops from the city, and thenext day they came. The skirmishing lasted
all day without a general engagement,but just at night we captured their supply
train, so we had plenty ofprovisions and some more guns. That night,
we posted sentinels and did not moveour camp, but rested quietly all
(24:08):
night for we expected heavy work thenext day. Early the next morning,
the warriors were assembled to pray notfor help, but that they might have
health and avoid ambush or deceptions bythe enemy. As we had anticipated,
About ten o'clock in the morning,the whole Mexican force came out. There
(24:30):
were two companies of cavalry and twoof infantry. I recognized the cavalry as
the soldiers who had killed my peopleat Kaskiya. This I told to the
chieftains, and they said that Imight direct the battle. I was no
chief and never had been, butbecause I had been more deeply wrong than
(24:52):
others, this honor was conferred uponme, and I resolved to prove worthy
of the trust. I arranged theIndians in a hollow circle near the river,
and the Mexicans drew their infantry upin two lines, with the cavalry
in reserve. We were in thetimber, and they advanced until within about
(25:14):
four hundred yards, when they haltedand opened fire. Soon I led a
charge against them, at the sametime sending some braves to attack their rear.
In all the battle, I thoughtof my murdered mother, wife and
babies, of my father's grave,and of my vow of vengeance. And
(25:36):
I fought with fury. Many fellby my hand and constantly I led the
advance. Many braves were killed.The battle lasted about two hours. At
the last four Indians were alone inthe center of the field, myself and
three other warriors. Our arrows wereall gone, our spears broke off in
(26:00):
the bodies of dead enemies. Wehad only our hands and knives with which
to fight, but all who hadstood against us were dead. Then two
armed soldiers came upon us from anotherpart of the field. They shot down
two of our men, and weThe remaining two fled toward our own warriors.
(26:22):
My companion was struck down by asaber, but I reached our warriors,
seized a spear and turned. Theone who pursued me missed his aim
and fell by my spear with hissaber. I met the trooper who had
killed my companion, and we grappledand fell. I killed him with my
(26:44):
knife and quickly rose over his body, brandishing his saber, seeking for other
troopers to kill. There were none, but the Apaches had seen over the
bloody field, covered with the bodiesof Mexicans. Rang the fierce Apache war
whoop, still covered with the bloodof my enemies, still holding my conquering
(27:07):
weapon, still hot with the joyof battle, victory and vengeance, I
was surrounded by the Apache braves andmade war chief of all the Apaches.
Then I gave orders for scalping theslain. I could not call back my
loved ones. I could not bringback the dead Apaches, but I could
(27:30):
rejoice in this revenge. The Apacheshad avenged the massacre of Kaskiya. End
of Part two of the Apaches
Section two of Geronimo's Story of hisLife. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the publicdomain. For more information or a volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recordingby Sue Anderson. Geronimo's Story of
his Life by Geronimo, transcribed byS. M. Barrett and translated by
(00:26):
asadek Luji. Section two, Parttwo of the Apaches, Chapter four tribal
amusements, manners, and customs.To celebrate each noted event, a feast
and dance would be given. Perhapsonly our own people, perhaps neighboring tribes
(00:47):
would be invited. These festivities usuallylasted for about four days. By day,
we feasted. By night, underthe direction of some chief, we
danced. The music for our dancewas singing, led by the warriors and
accompanied by beating the esadadeni buckskin ona hoop. No words were sung,
(01:08):
only the tones. When the feastingand dancing were over, we would have
horse races, foot races, wrestling, jumping, and all sorts of games
gambling. Among these games, themost noted was the tribal game of k
foot. It is played as follows. Four moccasins are placed about four feet
(01:30):
apart in holes in the ground,dug in a row on one side of
the camp and on the opposite sidea similar parallel row. At night,
a camp fire is started between thesetwo rows of moccasins, and the players
are arranged on sides, one orany number on each side. The score
(01:53):
is kept by a bundle of sticks, from which each side takes a stick
for every point one first, oneside takes the bone, a symbol of
the white rock used by the eaglein slaying the nameless Monster, puts up
blankets between the four moccasins and thefire so that the opposing team cannot observe
(02:13):
their movements, and then begin tosing the legends of Creation. The side
having the bone represents the feathered tribe, the opposite side represents the beasts.
The players representing the birds do allthe singing and whilest singing, hide the
bone in one of the moccasins.Then the blankets are thrown down. They
(02:37):
continue to sing, but as soonas the blankets are thrown down, the
chosen player from the opposing team,armed with a war club, comes to
their side of the camp fire,and with his club strikes the moccasin in
which he thinks the bone is hidden. If he strikes the right moccasin,
his side gets the bone and inturn represents the birds, while the opposing
(03:02):
team must keep quiet and guess.In turn. There are only four plays,
three that lose, and one thatwins. When all the sticks are
gone from the bundle, the sidehaving the largest number of sticks is counted
winner. This game is seldom playedexcept as a gambling game, but for
(03:23):
that purpose it is the most populargame known to the tribe. Usually the
game lasts four or five hours.It is never played in daytime. After
the games are all finished, thevisitors say, we are satisfied, and
the camp is broken up. Iwas always glad when the dances and feasts
(03:45):
were announced, so were all theother young people. Our life also had
a religious side. We had nochurches, no religious organizations, no Sabbath
Day, no holidays, and yetwe worshiped. Sometimes the whole tribe would
assemble to sing and pray, sometimesa smaller number, perhaps only two or
(04:08):
three. The songs had a fewwords, but were not formal. The
singer would occasionally put in such wordsas he wished instead of the usual tone
sound. Sometimes we prayed in silence. Sometimes each one prayed aloud. Sometimes
an aged person prayed for all ofus. At other times one would rise
(04:31):
and speak to us of our dutiesto each other and to usen our services
were short. When disease or pestilenceabounded, we were assembled and questioned by
our leaders to ascertain what evil wehad done and how usun could be satisfied.
Sometimes sacrifice was deemed necessary. Sometimesthe offending one was punished. If
(04:59):
an Apache I allowed his aged parentsto suffer for food or shelter, if
he had neglected or abused the sick, if he had profaned our religion,
or had been unfaithful, he mightbe banished from the tribe. The Apaches
had no prisons as white men have. Instead of sending their criminals into prison,
(05:21):
they sent them out of their tribe. These faithless, cruel, lazy,
or cowardly members of the tribe wereexcluded in such a manner that they
could not join any other tribe.Neither could they have any protection from our
unwritten tribal laws. Frequently, theseoutlaw Indians banded together and committed depredations,
(05:46):
which were charged against the regular tribe. However, the life of an outlaw
Indian was a hard lot, andtheir bands never became very large. Besides,
these bands frequently evoke the wrath ofthe tribe and secured their own destruction.
When I was about eight or tenyears old, I began to follow
(06:10):
the chase, and to me thiswas never work out. On the prairies
which ran up to our mountain homes, wandered herds of deer, antelope,
elk, and buffalo to be slaughteredwhen we needed them. Usually we hunted
buffalo on horseback, killing them witharrows and spears. Their skins were used
(06:32):
to make teepees and bedding, theirflesh to eat. It required more skill
to hunt the deer than any otheranimal. We never tried to approach a
deer except against the wind. Frequentlywe would spend hours in stealing upon some
grazing deer. If they were inthe open, we would crawl long distances
(06:55):
on the ground, keeping a weedor brush before us so that our approach
would not be noticed. Often wewould kill several out of one herd before
the others would run away. Theirflesh was dried and packed in vessels and
would keep in this condition for manymonths. The hide of the deer was
soaked in water and ashes and thehair removed, and then the process of
(07:21):
tanning continued until the buckskin was softand pliable. Perhaps no other animal was
more valuable to us than the deer. In the forests and along the streams
were many wild turkeys. These wewould drive to the plains, then slowly
ride up toward them until they werealmost tired out. When they began to
(07:45):
drop and hide, we would ridein upon them and by swinging from the
side of our horses, catch them. If one started to fly, we
would ride swiftly under him and killhim with a short stick or hunting club.
In this way, we could usuallyget as many wild turkeys as we
could carry home on a horse.There were many rabbits in our range,
(08:09):
and we also hunted them on horseback. Our horses were trained to follow the
rabbit at full speed, and asthey approached them, we would swing from
one side of the horse and strikethe rabbit with our hunting club. If
he was too far away, wewould throw the stick and kill him.
This was great sport when we wereboys, but as warriors, we seldom
(08:33):
hunted small game. There were manyfish in the streams but as we did
not eat them, we did nottry to catch or kill them. Small
boys sometimes threw stones at them orshot at them for practice with their bows
and arrows. Yusin did not intendsnakes, frogs, or fishes to be
(08:54):
eaten. I have never eaten ofthem. There were many eagles in the
mountains. These we hunted for theirfeathers. It required great skill to steal
upon an eagle, for besides havingsharp eyes, he is wise and never
stops at any place where he doesnot have a good view of the surrounding
(09:16):
country. I have killed many bearswith a spear, but was never injured
in a fight with one. Ihave killed several mountain lions with arrows and
one with a spear. Both bearsand mountain lions are good for food and
valuable for their skin. When wekilled them, we carried them home on
our horses. We often made quiversfor our arrows from the skin of the
(09:39):
mountain lion. These were very prettyand very durable. During my minority,
we had never seen a missionary ora priest. We had never seen a
white man. Thus quietly lived thebadonkahey Apaches. Chapter five. The family.
(10:01):
My grandfather Mako had been our chief. I never saw him, but
my father often told me of thegreat size, strength, and sagacity of
this old warrior. Their principal warshad been with the Mexicans. They had
some wars with other tribes of Indiansalso, but were seldom at peace for
any great length of time with theMexican towns. Mako died when my father
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was but a young warrior, andMangus Colorado became chief of the bedoncaget Apaches
when I was but a small boy. My father died after having been sick
for some time. When he passedaway carefully, the watchers closed his eyes.
Then they arrayed him in his bestclothes, painted his face afresh,
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wrapped a rich blanket around him,saddled his favorite horse, bore his arms
in front of him, and ledhis horse behind, repeating in wailing tones
his deeds of valor as they carriedhis body to a cave in the mountain.
Then they slew his horses, andwe gave away all of his other
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property, as was customary in ourtribe, after which his body was deposited
in the cave, his arms besidehim. His grave is hidden by piles
of stone, wrapped in splendor.He lies in seclusion, and the winds
in the pines sing a low requiemover the dead warrior. After my father's
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death, I assumed the care ofmy mother. She never married again,
although according to the customs of ourtribe, she might have done so immediately
after his death. Usually, however, the widow who has children remained single
after her husband's death for two orthree years, but the widow without children
(11:56):
marries again immediately After a warrior death, his widow returns to her people and
may be given away or sold byher father or brothers. My mother chose
to live with me, and shenever desired to marry again. We lived
near our old home and I supportedher. In eighteen forty six, being
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seventeen years of age, I wasadmitted to the Council of the Warriors.
Then I was very happy, forI could go wherever I wanted and do
whatever I liked. I had notbeen under the control of any individual,
but the customs of our tribe prohibitedme from sharing the glories of the war
path until the council admitted me whenopportunity offered. After this, I could
(12:46):
go on the war path with mytribe. This would be glorious. I
hoped soon to serve my people inbattle. I had long desired to fight
with our warriors. Perhaps the greatestjoy to me was that now I could
marry the fair Alope, daughter ofNeposto. She was a slender, delicate
(13:07):
girl. But we had been loversfor a long time. So as soon
as the council granted me these privileges, I went to see her father concerning
our marriage. Perhaps our love wasof no interest to him, Perhaps he
wanted to keep Alope with him,for she was a dutiful daughter. At
any rate, he asked many poniesfor her. I made no reply,
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but in a few days appeared beforehis wigwam with the herd of ponies and
took with me Alope. This wasall the married ceremony necessary in our tribe.
Not far from my mother's teepee,I had made for us a new
home. The teepee was made ofbuffalo hides, and in it were many
bare rogues, lion hides, andother trophies of the chase, as well
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as my spears, bows and arrows. Alope had made many little decorations of
beads and drawn work on buckskin,which she placed in our teepee. She
also drew many pictures on the wallsof our home. She was a good
wife, but she was never strong. We followed the traditions of our fathers
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and were happy. Three children cameto us, children that played, loitered
and worked as I had done.Chapter six, Caskilla. In the summer
of eighteen fifty eight, being atpeace with the Mexican towns as well as
with all the neighboring Indian tribes,we went south into Old Mexico to trade
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our whole tribe, but don qujetApaches went through Sonora towards Casa Grande,
our destination, But just before reachingthat place, we stopped at another Mexican
town called by the Indians Caskiya.Here we stayed for several days, camping
just outside the city. Every daywe would go into town to trade,
(15:07):
leaving our camp under the protection ofa small guard so that our arms,
supplies, and women and children wouldnot be disturbed during our absence. Late
one afternoon, when returning from town, we were met by a few women
and children who told us that theMexican troops from some other town had attacked
(15:30):
our camp, killed all the warriorsof the guard, captured all our ponies,
secured our arms, destroyed our supplies, and killed many of our women
and children. Quickly we separated,concealing ourselves as best we could, until
nightfall, when we assembled at ourappointed place of rendezvous, a thicket by
(15:54):
the river. Silently we stole inone by one sent those were placed,
and when all were counted, Ifound that my aged mother, my young
wife, and my three small childrenwere among the slain. There were no
lights in camp, so without beingnoticed, I silently turned away and stood
(16:18):
by the river. How long Istood there, I do not know,
but when I saw the warriors arrangingfor a council, I took my place.
That night, I did not givemy vote for or against any measure,
but it was decided that as therewere only eighty warriors left, and
(16:41):
as we were without arms or supplies, and were furthermore surrounded by the Mexicans
far inside their own territory, wecould not hope to fight successfully. So
our chief, Mangus Colorado, gavethe order to start at once in perfect
silence for our homes in Arizona,leaving the dead upon the field. I
(17:07):
stood until all had passed, hardlyknowing what I would do. I had
no weapon, nor did I hardlywish to fight. Neither did I contemplate
recovering the bodies of my loved ones, for that was forbidden. I did
not pray, nor did I resolveto do anything in particular, for I
(17:32):
had no purpose left. I finallyfollowed the tribe silently, keeping just within
hearing distance of the soft noise ofthe feet of the retreating apaches. The
next morning, some of the Indianskilled a small amount of game, and
we halted long enough for the tribeto cook and eat. When the march
(17:52):
was resumed. I had killed nogame and did not eat. During the
first as well as while we werecamped at this place, I spoke to
no one, and no one spoketo me. There was nothing to say.
For two days and three nights wewere on forced marches, stopping only
(18:15):
for meals. Then we made acamp near the Mexican border, where we
rested two days. Here I tooksome food and talked with the other Indians
who had lost in the massacre,but none had lost as I had,
for I had lost all. Withina few days we arrived at our own
(18:36):
settlement. There were the decorations thatAlope had made, and there were the
playthings of our little ones. Iburned them all, even our teepee.
I also burned my mother's teepee anddestroyed all her property. I was never
again contented in our quiet home.True I could visit my father's grave,
(19:00):
but I had vowed vengeance upon theMexican troopers who had wronged me, And
whenever I came near his grave orsaw anything to remind me of my former
happy days, my heart would achefor revenge upon Mexico. As soon as
we had again collected some arms andsupplies Mangus Colorado, our chief called a
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consul and found that all our warriorswere willing to take the war path against
Mexico. I was appointed to solicitthe aid of other tribes in this war.
When I went to the Jaconan ChiracawaApaches Cochise, their chief called a
council at early dawn. Silently,the warriors assembled at an open place in
(19:48):
a mountain dell and took their seatson the ground, arranged in rows according
to their ranks. Silently they satsmoking. At a signal from the chief,
I arose and presented my cause asfollows. Kinsmen. You have heard
what the Mexicans have recently done withoutcause. You are my relatives, uncles,
(20:12):
cousins, brothers. We are menthe same as the Mexicans are.
We can do to them what theyhave done to us. Let us go
forward and trail them. I willlead you to their city. We will
attack them in their homes. Iwill fight in the front of the battle.
(20:33):
I only ask you to follow meto avenge this wrong done by these
Mexicans. Will you come? Itis well, you will all come.
Remember the rule in war, menmay return or they may be killed.
If any of these young men arekilled, I want no blame from their
kinsmen, for they themselves have chosento go. If I am killed,
(21:00):
no one need mourn for me.My people have all been killed in that
country, and I too will dieif need be. I returned to my
own settlement, reported this success tomy chieftain, and immediately departed to the
southward into the land of the netnay Apaches. Their chief whole heard me
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without comment, but he immediately issuedorders for a council, and when all
were ready, gave a sign thatI might speak I addressed them as I
had addressed the Jaconan tribe, andthey also promised to help us. It
was in the summer of eighteen fiftynine, almost a year from the date
of the massacre of Caskiya, thatthese three tribes were assembled on the Mexican
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border to go upon the war path. Their faces were painted, the war
bands fastened upon their brows, theirlong scalp locks ready for the hand and
knife of the warrior who would overcomethem. Their families had been hidden away
in a mountain rendezvous near the Mexicanborder. With these families, a guard
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was posted and a number of placesof rendezvous designated in case the camp should
be disturbed. When all were ready, the chieftains gave command to go forward.
None of us were mounted, andeach warrior wore moccasins and also a
cloth wrapped about his loins. Thiscloth could be spread over him when he
slept, and when on the march, would be ample protection as clothing in
(22:36):
battle. If the fight was hard, we did not wish much clothing.
Each warrior carried three days rations,but as we often killed game while on
the march, we seldom were withoutfood. We traveled in three divisions,
the Badonkahey Apaches led by Mangus Colorado, the Chaconan apaches by Cochise, and
(23:00):
at night apaches by ho However,there was no regular order inside the separate
tribes. We usually marched about fourteenhours per day, making three stops for
meals, and traveling forty to fortyfive miles a day. I acted as
guide into Mexico, and we followedthe river courses and mountain ranges because we
(23:22):
could better thereby keep our movements concealed. We entered Sonora and went southward past
Kitako, Nakazati, and many smallersettlements. When we were almost at Arispe,
we camped and eight men rode outfrom the city to parley with us.
These we captured, killed, andscalped. This was to draw the
(23:47):
troops from the city, and thenext day they came. The skirmishing lasted
all day without a general engagement,but just at night we captured their supply
train, so we had plenty ofprovisions and some more guns. That night,
we posted sentinels and did not moveour camp, but rested quietly all
(24:08):
night for we expected heavy work thenext day. Early the next morning,
the warriors were assembled to pray notfor help, but that they might have
health and avoid ambush or deceptions bythe enemy. As we had anticipated,
About ten o'clock in the morning,the whole Mexican force came out. There
(24:30):
were two companies of cavalry and twoof infantry. I recognized the cavalry as
the soldiers who had killed my peopleat Kaskiya. This I told to the
chieftains, and they said that Imight direct the battle. I was no
chief and never had been, butbecause I had been more deeply wrong than
(24:52):
others, this honor was conferred uponme, and I resolved to prove worthy
of the trust. I arranged theIndians in a hollow circle near the river,
and the Mexicans drew their infantry upin two lines, with the cavalry
in reserve. We were in thetimber, and they advanced until within about
(25:14):
four hundred yards, when they haltedand opened fire. Soon I led a
charge against them, at the sametime sending some braves to attack their rear.
In all the battle, I thoughtof my murdered mother, wife and
babies, of my father's grave,and of my vow of vengeance. And
(25:36):
I fought with fury. Many fellby my hand and constantly I led the
advance. Many braves were killed.The battle lasted about two hours. At
the last four Indians were alone inthe center of the field, myself and
three other warriors. Our arrows wereall gone, our spears broke off in
(26:00):
the bodies of dead enemies. Wehad only our hands and knives with which
to fight, but all who hadstood against us were dead. Then two
armed soldiers came upon us from anotherpart of the field. They shot down
two of our men, and weThe remaining two fled toward our own warriors.
(26:22):
My companion was struck down by asaber, but I reached our warriors,
seized a spear and turned. Theone who pursued me missed his aim
and fell by my spear with hissaber. I met the trooper who had
killed my companion, and we grappledand fell. I killed him with my
(26:44):
knife and quickly rose over his body, brandishing his saber, seeking for other
troopers to kill. There were none, but the Apaches had seen over the
bloody field, covered with the bodiesof Mexicans. Rang the fierce Apache war
whoop, still covered with the bloodof my enemies, still holding my conquering
(27:07):
weapon, still hot with the joyof battle, victory and vengeance, I
was surrounded by the Apache braves andmade war chief of all the Apaches.
Then I gave orders for scalping theslain. I could not call back my
loved ones. I could not bringback the dead Apaches, but I could
(27:30):
rejoice in this revenge. The Apacheshad avenged the massacre of Kaskiya. End
of Part two of the Apaches
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