Goyathlay

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This was extremely hard for Harlyn to speak about. It may not seem important to the world that we do this, but to the Apache people it is sacred and something we much do. So much injustice for our people, this must be done. But this will only be a small victory. Visit the website to read more and see the pictures thru construction. Please remember this is an ongoing project. "Geronimo Project" http://www.sancarlosapache.org/index.html
New programs on PBS to air in April-May
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STORY CONTINUES HERE!
Expelled from the Dutch Reformed Church for gambling.
By any standards, Goyathlay’s life was filled with sadness and tragedy. Life among the native tribes was never easy. Goyathlay learned early the ways of hunting and to become a good warrior. His father was an superior teacher. Goyathlay learned much in a few short years. But he would lose his father,Taklishim when he was young.. In the ways of the Apache, Goyathlay took upon him the care of his mother. In the Kaskiyeh massacre of 1858 he would lose his mother, Juana, his wife Alope and his three young sons. For what the Mexicans had done to his family his heart was consumed with hate and revenge. Goyathlay would outlive many wives during his life. He would also bury other children.Due to their dwindling population from disease and battle between the Mexicans and the white man, the number of men dropped drastically among the Apaches. Although polygamy was not a way of life and was considered wrong, it was approved for a time. Some members of the tribe strongly did not approve, but Goyathlay would take several wives a one time. The women of the tribe did not object, and some were even relieved to have added help with their physical chores.His 2nd wife was Chee-hash-kish, a Bedonkahe Apache and would bear him two children, Chappo and Dohn-say.(Pictured above, Chappo became a warrior and faught with his father.)Shortly after his second marriage Goyathlay would also marry Taz-ayz-Slath , another Bedonkahe Apache. (3rd wife) She would bear him one child.
Wife: (above)Taz-ayz-Slath (1 son)
When the rage boiling within Goyathlay over the murders of his mother, first wife and son, that anger would forever be sealed in his heart as he would also lose Taz-ayz-Slath and their son to another Mexican raiding party in 1861. Chec-hash-kesh was kidnapped in the raid and Goyathlay never saw her again. He had lost 7 loved ones to the Mexican raiders. No amount of vengeance would repay their deeds in his mind and heart.
Goyathlay’s 4th wife was not from the Bedonkahe tribe. Her name was She-gha. She was the sister of Yahnosha, the warrior. On Aug 7, 1885, Wirt Davis’s scouts attached Goyathlay’s camp and captured She-gla and their 3 year old daughter, Lenna. Goyathlay would have no part of this and went to the White Mountain Reservation on Sept 22nd, 1885 to get her and the little girl. (His 6th wife Zi-yeh and son Fenton were also captive and Goyathlay would rescue them as well) He was successful in that attempt. She-gla was with Goyathlay when he surrendered in 1886. (Years later, according to Goyathlay she was allowed to go to the Mescalero Agency in New Mexico. Many of the people at that time were either ill or dying do to the conditions in Alabama. When she left she took their daughter Lenna and son Robbie.)
Wife: (above)She-gha
During his stay on the reservation before the uprising at Turkey Creek, Goyathlay would marry his 5th wife. She was a member of the Bedonkahe tribe. They did not have any children. She escaped with her husband in 1878, but died shortly thereafter.His 6th wife was Zy-yeh . She would bear him 2 children, Fenton, born in 1882 and Eva, born in 1889. Zy- yeh died at Fort Sill. His 7th wife, Ih-tedda was among the people resued from the White Mountain Reservation in 1885. Records of her have not be located. Likewise Goyathlay’s 8th wife is also a mystery. We have no record of her name. From Goyathlay’s story we know they were married sometime in Dec, 1905 but nothing else. They were divorced by Apache tradition. The 9th wife was Azul. She had been captured by the Mexicans when she was young and could speak Spanish very well. They were married sometime in 1907. Following Goyathlay’s death in 1909 she never remarried.
Daughter:(above)Eva(mrs Asa Deklugie w daughter Eva age 16)
Brother: Naretena
BELOW ARE PHOTO FROM 1899 THROUGH 1909
Photos above were taken in 1903 by J. W. Collins.
Above: Geronimo visiting his son at the Carlisle Indian School.
Photo above: Ready for Church
“Believing that in a wise way it is good to go to church, and that associating with Christians would improve my character, I have adopted the Christian religion. I believe that the church has helped me much during the short time I have been a member. I am not ashamed to be a Christian, and I am glad to know that the President of the United States is a Christian, for without the help of the Almighty I do not think he could rightly judge in ruling so many people.”
Converted to Methodism, Medicine Creek, Oklahoma Territory 1-Jul-1903
Photos of Goyathlay above were taken at the St Louis World's Fair.
“WHEN I was at first asked to attend the St. Louis World's Fair I did not wish to go. Later, when I was told that I would receive good attention and protection, and that the President of the United States said that it would be all right, I consented. I was kept by parties in charge of the Indian Department, who had obtained permission from the President. I stayed in this place for six months. I sold my photographs for twenty-five cents, and was allowed to keep ten cents of this for myself. I also wrote my name for ten, fifteen, or twenty-five cents, as the case might be, and kept all of that money. I often made as much as two dollars a day, and when I returned I had plenty of money -more than I had ever owned before.”
Above: Photos taken in 1904.
Above: Two photos from President Theodore Roosevelt’s Inaugural Ceremony 1905
Geronimo was one of the main attractions at the 101 Ranch roundup held in 1905 for the national Editorial Association. Wearing a silk top hat and riding in an early day Buick, he smiled and bowed to the huge crowd, enjoying immensely the attention he attracted.
Above: Photos taken from the Wild West Show in which Geronimo took part.
1907
MY NEWEST PHOTO!!! Goyathlay standing with his items for sale.
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Above: Two photos, taken shortly before his death. This was to be Goyathlay's last buffalo. Although there are no notes regarding this event that I can find, it looks to be very ceremonial, taken into account the head dresses being worn during event.
While bullets might not kill him, "civilization" surely did. He got drunk on the night of 11 February on white man’s whiskey in Lawton, and on the ride back to Fort Sill, he fell off his horse. No one missed him. It was raining and very cold, and he lay unconscious in the wet and muddy road until the next morning. The old warrior, feeling betrayed and begging for freedom, died of pneumonia on 17 February 1909. He was still a prisoner of war and still longing for his mountains of Arizona. He is buried in the Apache South cemetery on the Fort Sill Military Reservation. Nearby lie the graves of family members and his "brothers," Nana, Naiche, Loco, and Chihauhua.
“I know that if my people were placed in that mountainous region lying around the head waters of the Gila River they would live in peace and act according to the will of the President. They would be prosperous and happy in tilling the soil and learning the civilization of the white men, whom they now respect. Could I but see this accomplished, I think I could forget all the wrongs that I have ever received, and die a contented and happy old man. But we can do nothing in this matter ourselves-we must wait until those in authority choose to act. If this cannot be done during my lifetime-if I must die in bondage- I hope that the remnant of the Apache tribe may, when I am gone, be granted the one privilege which they request-to return to Arizona.”
As a bit of trivia, a number of his descendants have been well-known in various fields of endeavor. One of his grandsons was a famous character actor in Hollywood by the name of Charlie Stevens. Charlie acted in hundreds of films and was a close personal friend of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Another grandson, Geronimo III, would often bring his Apaches down from the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico for pow-wow each summer, to the great delight of the people in Alamogordo. Geronimo is the ONLY Indian to be recognized worldwide for his bravery and ferocity.
SS Geronimo The Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. The SS Geronimo (Hull Number 1122) was a Liberty ship (cargo ship) built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Geronimo. Launched on May 29, 1943. The ship survived the war only to suffer the same fate as nearly all other Liberty ships that survived did; she was scrapped in 1960.
The unit's motto is "Geronimo," a phrase that has become synonymous with paratroopers and parachutists in general. The motto dates from 1940 and the lead up to World War II. The night before their first attempt to prove the feasibility of a mass jump, some U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning watched the film Geronimo (1939). While drinking with fellow paratroopers after the show, Private Aubrey Eberhardt announced he would shout the name "Geronimo" when he jumped to prove he was not scared. He followed through with his promise and the practice soon caught on within the unit, becoming its unofficial motto. When the 501st was created the name was confirmed as the unit's official motto with the permission of the real Geronimo's family.
Pictures on this site are from my personal collection, some believe it to be the largest collection of Goyathlay pictures.