At the Geronimo Monument

Remembering Geronimo 100 years after his deathOne might say the winding, rocky dirt road leading to the Geronimo Monument on the San Carlos Apache Reservation parallels two things: Geronimo’s life, and the events leading up to the commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of his death which ended with a congressional resolution honoring the Apache warrior.

In mid-February about 300 people, including tribal leaders and members of five Apache Nations from Arizona and New Mexico, gathered to remember a man known to the Chiricahua Apaches as Goyathlay and to the rest of the world as Geronimo. He died of pneumonia Feb. 17, 1909 while a prisoner of war in Ft. Sill, Okla.And:Jerry Gloshay Jr. read a statement on behalf of Chairman Ronnie Lupe of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, who was unable to attend.

“He (Geronimo) rebelled against the intrusion of forts and foreign assimilation tactics in the 1800s,” read Gloshay. “His will for survival is something to behold.”

Planning for this day began months ago. While Nosie’s vision was met with support and enthusiasm by the separate Apache nations, at home he was harshly criticized. Some, like elder Reede Upshaw, wrote letters to the local newspaper claiming he grew up hearing stories about how Geronimo terrorized and murdered his own people. He compared the honoring of Geronimo to honoring Adolf Hitler.And:To the surprise of many, the four metal sculptures designed by Colville artist Virgil Marchand, did not include Geronimo, but rather a family of four facing the east with their hands extended upward as if to offer prayers.

Reynard Faber, the traditional Chief of the Jicarilla Apache, expected to see a monument portraying Geronimo, perhaps on a horse.

“Basically it’s very spiritual. It represents all Apaches. Even though it was Geronimo’s day, it wasn’t all about him. To bring all Apaches together, that was significant.” said Faber.Comment:  Interesting that the statues chosen for the Geronimo Monument had nothing to do with Geronimo. They're all about the Apache faith, spirit, and unity.

If you think about it, we honor people for different reasons. Some people--e.g., Shakespeare, Mozart, Lincoln, Darwin--we honor for their specific achievements. Others we honor more for their lofty ideals, what they represent, than for what they specifically achieved.

Some examples of the latter:

The ancient Greeks: honored for their democratic ideals despite their wars of conquest and ownership of slaves.

Christopher Columbus: honored for spreading Western civilization to the Americas and not for his so-called discovery of the "New World," which others had made before and were about to make again.

Che Guevara: honored for his revolutionary ideals despite his brutal, bloody implementation of them.

Ronald Reagan: honored for his small-government and anti-Communism ideals despite his recession, deficit spending, savings and loan crisis, Iran-contra deal, and support for right-wing dictators.

Geronimo: honored for his fighting spirit and will to survive despite his supposed campaign of terror.

After all, Geronimo's actual achievements--running and hiding for a few years before growing tired and giving up--weren't exactly earth-shaking. Therefore, the statues at the Geronimo Monument seem oddly appropriate.

For a similar subject, see Indian Memorial at Little Bighorn.

Below:  Dancers at lower right and statues at upper left. Photo by Mary Kim Titla.