Geronimo's Song
Apache

"The song that I will sing is an old song, so
old that none knows
who made
it. It has been handed down through
generations and was taught
to me when I
was but a little lad. It is now my own song.
It belongs to me.
This is a
holy song (medicine-song), and
great is its power. The song
tells how, as I
sing, I go through the air to a holy
place where Yusun
(The Supreme Being)
will give me power to do wonderful things.
I am surrounded
 by little clouds,and as I go
through the air I change, becoming spirit only.

Geronimo's changed form is symbolized
by a circle, and this is surrounded by
a mystic aureole. The holy place is
symbolized by the sun, which is
decorated with a horned headdress
emblematic
of divine power. This is the
insignia of the Holy Man.

MEDICINE-SONG

Sung by Geronimo

O, ha le

O, ha le!

Awbizhaye

Shichl hadahiyago niniya

O, ha le

O, ha le

Tsago degi naleya

Ah--yu whi ye!

O, ha le

O, ha le!

O, ha le

O, ha le!

Through the air

I fly upon the air

Towards the sky, far, far, far,

O, ha le

O, ha le!

There to find the holy place,

Ah, now the change comes o'er me!

O, ha le

O, ha le!

"Geronimo is said to have had magical powers.
He could see into the future,
walk without creating footprints and even hold off the
dawn to protect his
own. This Apache Indian warrior and his band of
37 followers defied federal
authority for more than 25 years."

Quotes from Geronimo

"I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and
sheltered by the trees as
other Indian babes. I was living peaceably when people
began to speak badly
of me. Now I can eat well, sleep wells and be glad.
I can go everywhere with
a good feeling.

The soldiers never explained to the government
when an Indian was wronged
but reported the misdeeds of the Indians. We took
an oath not to do any
wrong to each other or to scheme
against each other.

I cannot think that we are useless or God would
not have created us. There
is one God looking down on us all. We are all the
children of one God. The
sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to
what we have to say.

When a child, my mother taught me to kneel and
pray to Use for strength,
health, wisdom and protection. Sometimes we prayed
in silence, sometimes
each one prayed aloud; sometimes an aged
person prayed for all of us... and
to Use.

I was born on the prairies where the wind blew free
and there was nothing to
break the light of the sun. I was born where
there were no enclosures." <BR

To the Apaches, Geronimo embodied the very
essence of the Apache values,
aggressiveness, and courage in the face of difficulty.
These qualities
inspired fear in the settlers of Arizona
and New Mexico. The Chiricahuas
were mostly migratory following the seasons,
hunting and farming. When food
was scarce, it was the custom to raid
neighboring tribes. Raids and
vengeance were an honorable way of life
among the tribes of this region