Geronimo’s Story of His Life · Chapter
XIV: Greatest of Wrongs explained
Geronimo recounts the betrayal and massacre of Mangus Colorado and half the tribe at Apache Tejo, the subsequent attacks by U.S.
What happens
Geronimo recounts the betrayal and massacre of Mangus Colorado and half the tribe at Apache Tejo, the subsequent attacks by U.S. troops, the desperate defense with primitive weapons, and his election as tribal chief after Mangus's death.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Broken Treaties
The treaty at Apache Tejo is broken when Mangus Colorado and his people are treacherously captured and slain, exemplifying the betrayal of trust.
Loss and Vengeance
The loss of Mangus and half the tribe, along with subsequent attacks, fuels a cycle of loss and retaliation.
Resistance and Survival
Despite being poorly armed and outnumbered, the Apaches resist U.S. troops using rocks and clubs, and Geronimo leads the survivors to regroup.
Injustice and Oppression
The U.S. troops attack women and children, destroy supplies, and leave the tribe without shelter in the coldest winter, highlighting systemic injustice.
Characters to notice
- Geronimo
Narrator and protagonist; opposes the treaty with Apache Tejo, leads the remaining band, and is elected Tribal Chief after Mangus's death.
- Mangus Colorado
Chief who goes to Apache Tejo to make a treaty and is treacherously captured and slain along with half the tribe.
- Cochise
Leads a band of Chokonen Indians that joins Geronimo's group during a battle; takes command of both divisions.
Key passages
“Perhaps the greatest wrong ever done to the Indians was the treatment received by our tribe from the United States troops about 1863.”
The worst injustice the Indians ever suffered was how the U.S. troops treated our tribe around 1863.
Opening statement setting the tone of betrayal and oppression.
“Mangus-Colorado, with three other warriors, went to Apache Tejo and held a council with these citizens and soldiers. They told him that if he would come with his tribe and live near them, they would issue to him, from the Government, blankets, flour, provisions, beef, and all manner of supplies.”
Mangus Colorado and three warriors went to Apache Tejo to negotiate, where the settlers and soldiers promised government supplies if the tribe moved nearby.
Describes the treaty offer that led to the betrayal.
“No word ever came to us from them. From other sources, however, we heard that they had been treacherously captured and slain.”
We never heard from them again, but learned from others that they had been deceitfully captured and killed.
Reveals the fate of Mangus and his party.
“We killed all four, but did not scalp them; they were not warriors.”
We killed all four men but did not scalp them because they were not warriors.
Shows the Apache distinction between combatants and non-combatants.
“Before we had finished this work we were surprised and attacked by United States troops, who killed in all seven Indians—one warrior, three women, and three children.”
Before we finished, U.S. troops attacked, killing seven of our people: one warrior, three women, and three children.
Highlights the indiscriminate killing of non-combatants.
“We could do little damage with these weapons, and at night we moved our camp about four miles back into the mountains where it would be hard for the cavalry to follow us.”
We inflicted little harm with rocks and clubs, so we moved camp deeper into the mountains to evade the cavalry.
Describes the tactical retreat due to lack of effective weapons.
