“I was born where there were no enclosures.” –Geronimo
The name Geronimo was given to him by the Mexican Army after they suffered a major battle during the Mexican holiday: St. Geronimo Day. The birth name of Geronimo was Go-Yah-Kla.
Goyahkla (Geronimo) was a naturally gifted hunter, who, as the legend goes, as a boy he swallowed the heart of his first kill in order to ensure a life of success on the hunt. To the Apache tribe Goyahkla ( Geronimo) was the essence of the best and most skilled Indian warriors, he was fearless, clever, ruthless, and honorable as a man of his word. Goyahkla (Geronimo) proved time and time again that he was the most famous Apache of them all, even among white men he was held in high esteem.
General Nelson Miles wrote in his diary:
“He is one of the brightest, most resolute, determined -looking man I have ever encountered.”–General Nelson Miles
At the tender age of seventeen Goyahkla (Geronimo) fell in love with a beautiful Apache girl named Alope. The two young lovers were married and had three children together. One day while out on a trading trip, Mexican soldiers attacked the camp where Goyahkla’s (Geronimo’s) family were set up. Goyahkla’s ( Geronimo’s) mother, wife and three children were all killed in the attack. Goyahlka (Geronimo) was enraged and he rounded up two hundred Apache warriors and for the next ten years he hunted down and killed each one of the Mexican soldiers that had a hand in the killing of his family.
U.S. Paratroopers of World War II saw the 1940 movie GERONIMO the night before mass training jumps and as they fell from the sky they all shouted
G-E-R-O-N-I-M-O!!!!
Goyahkla was born on June 16th 1829 and he died on February 17, 1909.
I wrote this article for Yahoo and it was first published on October 31, 2013 to honor Native American Heritage Month.
Charles Micheaux
Atlanta*
MICHEAUX PUBLISHING 