|
Post by dT on Feb 16, 2012 15:25:21 GMT -5
I'm not sure why this is so sensitive.
Wife beating is hardly a problem confined to the Apache. Go back and look at he behavior of white society even just a few decades ago. Domestic violence was more accepted then, and occurred more than people like to admit. The big change in the role of women, also coinciding with women working and having the right to vote, is only a comparatively recent change.
I spend time helping indigenous peoples overseas - including Africa. Wife beating is so common there that it is difficult for women to gain any support about stopping it. Traditional households are still very oriented around the idea that the man is dominant, and womens issues are subservient. Domestic violence often feeds in this atmosphere.
There are certainly records that US Army personnel were unhappy about the way that Chiricahua warriors beat their wives on occasions - when on the reservation. This tells us that the beatings must have been pretty bad. Very likely alcohol did play a part in what was going on.
How much did it happen in traditional Apache life ... it's hard to say. But you can't rule it out. Violence was a part of the warrior ethic ... some of this probably spilled over to women and children. It doesn't mean that all men did this, but you can't assume it didn't go on.
dT
|
|
|
Post by dT on Feb 16, 2012 15:08:36 GMT -5
Great photo's - thanks so much for posting these!
dT
|
|
|
Post by dT on Feb 16, 2012 12:36:56 GMT -5
Jasper ...
I understand what you are saying. Yes - the white men of that time practiced great deceitfulness (esp. Gen Miles) and lied completely about the agreements to the Apache. And yes - all Indians on the reservation were badly treated, including the scouts who had actually worked for the US Army.
As for Geronimo .. he will always be a complex character. Even for native americans, and Apaches, he is often disliked. Did he do the right thing? It will be debated forever. Geronimo was committed to the traditional lifestyle of the Chiricahua, and he believed it should not change. So he resisted change, and fought for a life that he knew as a young man. Is that so hard to understand? But his actions did bring a LOT of trouble for the tribe. Perhaps we should just accept that Geronimo was a complex individual - and will never be easy to understand.
By the way ... one thing I just noticed about Geronimo. Any time you look at him in a photo in the wild - he looks happy. He is proud, standing tall, has a rifle in his hands, and he just looks like "himself". But any time you see him at the late stage of his life, in confinement, it just doesn't look like the "real Geronimo" any more ... it's like the life is taken out of him.
And maybe that's the fundamental truth. Geronimo was just a guy who needed to be out in the wilderness with a rifle. That's just who he was.
dT
|
|
|
Post by dT on Feb 15, 2012 19:51:11 GMT -5
No loss of sanity. Geronimo dedicated his life to revenge for the killing of his family - especially against the Mexican soldiers. You can question the life-long commitment to revenge if you want. But he was most certainly not insane. Indeed, you can argue that he was probably the most successful fugitive to ever be hunted by the US Government. At one point there were somewhere around 9,000 soldiers looking for Geronimo (American and Mexican). His ability to be thoughtful and cunning was truly outstanding.
I have only ever seen one comment that brings into question any part of Geronimo's character. That was a historical comment attributed to some White Mountain Apache's who had remained on the reservation. Their thoughts were that warriors like Perico and Fun were outstanding fighters, but that Geronimo (at times) showed cowardice. The example cited was when Geronimo was cornered in some caves by Mexican troops who attempted to burn out the Indians. The rumor is that Geronimo hid at the back of the cave with the women and children, and was chastised by other warriors who demanded that he come and fight.
It is hard to know whether to take these comments seriously - since they could just be gossip and have no firm foundation. Geronimo was certainly cunning. And it would appear from the number of raids he conducted as a young warrior that he was both skilled and bold. Why some Apache questioned his character in later years is not clear.
dT
|
|