Geronimo Essay Example

Geronimo Essay Growing up as a kid in Florida, I have had ample opportunity to experience my fair share of community swimming pools. When jumping into swimming pools, kids are most likely to express themselves verbally before hitting the water and creating their splash. The most common phrase heard would probably be Cannonball, or another one-word phrase like, Geronimo. We all know what a cannonball is, but do we all know what a Geronimo is? Geronimo is not actually a thing, but a real live person from the 1800s and early 1900s. Geronimo was a legend for over a generation after his death in 1909. He helped raise spirits for American Indians everywhere during their last few years of non-reservation freedom as well as provoking fear against anyone who crossed his path. Born in 1929, in what today is western New Mexico, he was part of the Bedonkohe Apache tribe. His Indian name was Goyathlay, which translates into one who yawns. The nickname Geronimo was given to him by one of his foes, the Mexican so ldiers. It was never found the real reason he inherited the name Geronimo, but I have a feeling it has something to do with his attack tactics, which include racing down large hills in surprise attacks. When evolving from boyhood to manhood, he married his wife named Juh, and was brought into the tribe Chiricahua, another branch of Apache. Geronimo, was the leader of the last American Indian fighting force present in the United States. Because of the odds he faced and his amazing fighting tactics, Geronimo became known as the most famous Apache of all time. To the Apaches, Geronimo expressed all the signs of Apache values. He was aggressive, extremely courageous, and wasnt ever afraid to face off against outstanding odds. While these values made him a celebrity to Apaches already buckled down in reservations, it also inflicted great fear towards the new settlers of Arizona and New Me