Goyathlay, also known as Geronimo, was one of the most famous and infamous .
Native American leaders of all time (Hook 32). Because of the lack of documentation, .
the facts of his life have been somewhat changed over time. This is especially evident in .
contemporary books and Hollywood movies. A good example is the movie .
"Geronimo".
This relatively new documentation exaggerates and misinterprets points and .
stories about his life. Because of his amazing cunning, warrior skill, and familiarity with .
nature, people spread rumors of Geronimo having magical powers. Geronimo is said to .
have magical powers. Supposedly he could see into the future, walk without creating .
foot prints, and even hold off the dawn to protect his own (indigenouspeople.com). The .
Hollywood movie makers took these legends very seriously when making this picture.
There was one event at the beginning of the movie where a white man tries to .
avenge his mother and sisters death by shooting Geronimo at one of his public .
appearances. He shoots point blank range and Geronimo stands unchanged and .
unamused. The white man is promptly informed that you can't kill the old man with a .
gun. This is a story that has been passed down through the years and was never officially .
documented. Geronimo's life story is filled with exiting legends like this one, although .
few of his feats were confirmed.
Geronimo also had an infamous reputation of being ruthless. To the pioneers and .
settlers of Arizona and New Mexico, he was a bloody-handed murderer; this image lasted .
until the second half of the twentieth century (Schwartz 44). This reputation was unjust .
and innacurate, but it is easy to see where he got it.
Geronimo had a deep hatred of whites, which came from an unprovoked attack on .
his village in 1858. The attack happened when the warriors in their Apache tribe were .
away on a trading excursion. Geronimo and the rest of the warriors returned to their .