Geronimo and Coyote Power
Geronimo is of the Bedonkohe Tribe of the Apaches, who are from Arizona. Their tribe was frequently at war with the Mexicans. His grandfather was chief of the tribe. Geronimo was admitted to the council of warriors at age 17. Before the coming of the whites and Geronimo’s battles with them, he had many battles with the Mexicans. In the early battles, Geronimo managed to survive, however often everyone else did not, so that his powers of protection seemed to be working for him alone. However eventually the war parties were successful and Geronimo’s powers extended beyond himself to protect his companions. One of Geronimo’s powers was the Coyote Power, of death and also the power to be invisible. Coyotes are a leading character in the stories of Native Americans, embodying many of the most foolish and selfish characteristics of human beings, and used to show how not to act.
From “Fox and Whirlwind” by Peter Aleshire:
The warriors returned safely home from the raid to Mexico, protected by Geronimo’s Power. It seemed that his Power had been merely testing him – giving him bad luck at first to see if Geronimo would remain faithful, but rewarding him now. Geronimo talked to his Power every morning, to find out what he should do. Then he would talk to his warriors, telling them what would happen. He would say, you should go here, you should go there. He did not talk much about his Power, and that was good, because Power does not like to be talked about . It comes to you in private. It will come to you and say, I can’t find a better man than you. I like your ways. There are many here, but I can’t find a better one. You are the very person for me. I want to give you something to live by through this world, because you will meet many difficulties. And sometimes a person may say back, I am a poor person, and there are many other people here good enough for that. Let me alone, I don’t want your ceremony. But that is dangerous too, because the Power might resent that, and make trouble.
It made perfect sense that Coyote Power should pick Geronimo, who had two sides – light and dark, victory and loss, strength and weakness. His great victories called forth great losses. Death and life ran through him, each the cause of the other. Was not Coyote the same? For Coyote opened the bag of darkness to loosen night and all its evil on human beings – but he also stole fire and spread the sparks from his bush tail as he ran, thus bringing that great blessing to The People. Coyote showed courage and foolishness, and daring and laziness, and strength and greed. Coyote made human beings subject to death, by foolishly making a bet that a stone he threw into the water would not sink – even as Geronimo fought, even when he could not win. All of the foolish things that have afflicted human beings through all time, Coyote did first.
On Geronimo’s Coyote Ceremony for Curing –He started to sing. There were many songs, and the songs were about Coyote. They told how Coyote was a tricky fellow, hard to see and find, and how he gave these characteristics to Geronimo so that he could make himself invisible and even turn into a doorway. They told how the coyote helped Geronimo in his curing. Geronimo accompanied his singing with a drum which he beat with a curved stick. At the end of each song he gave a call like a coyote.
From: Apache Life-Way, 1941 by Morris Opler, p 40.
