Character guide

Geronimo

major

Also known as XII Geronimo, Eva, Eva Geronimo

Geronimo narrates from a military reservation where he has been held a prisoner of war for two decades, trading his story for payment and dedicating it to President Roosevelt in hopes of justice for his people. Formal and reserved with strangers, he warms only when a visitor proves he has been wounded by a Mexican, then speaks his mind freely about his enemies. He refuses to talk before a stenographer and will not be questioned on the day he tells a portion of his life, telling his interpreter only, 'Write what I have spoken'—a stubborn dignity that shapes how the whole book comes to exist.

General Nelson A. Miles

supporting

Also known as General Miles, Miles, Nelson, Brigadier General Miles

Miles is the government's negotiating face at the surrender, assuring Geronimo and Naiche that they can lay down their arms as prisoners of war and that it is not the Army's way to kill enemies who surrender. He draws a line on the ground to represent the ocean and speaks through two interpreters, English to Spanish to Apache, while Naiche watches him with the memory of Mangus-Colorado's murder after surrender. The promises he makes at Skeleton Canyon become the disputed heart of the surrender's terms, and the separation of the warriors from their families afterward is what Geronimo and Naiche regard as a violation of everything Miles pledged.

Naiche

supporting

Also known as Natches, Chief Naiche

Naiche is the last hereditary chief of the hostile Apaches, riding parallel to Captain Lawton's command with Geronimo and standing beside him at Skeleton Canyon when the surrender is negotiated. Wild and suspicious, he hesitates to place himself in the hands of the palefaces precisely because he knows Mangus-Colorado was foully murdered after surrendering years before. His fear of treachery gives the surrender its tension, and when the band is separated from its women and children at the railroad cars, he and Geronimo protest together that the treaty of surrender has been broken.

Mangus Colorado

supporting

Also known as Mangus, Mangus - Colorado

Mangus-Colorado belongs to the generation before Geronimo's final wars, a leader whose fate is invoked at Skeleton Canyon as the reason Naiche will not easily lay down his arms. He was, in the Apaches' memory, foully murdered after he had surrendered—a betrayal that turns every American promise of safety into something to be weighed against a corpse. His death is the quiet precedent behind the suspicion that nearly breaks the surrender, and it explains why Geronimo's people measure each treaty by what happened to the chiefs who trusted the last one.

Cochise

supporting

Also known as Chokonen Indians under Cochise

Cochise stands behind the book's central cast as the great Chiricahua chief whose band and lineage define who Naiche is—the illustrations name Naiche as son of Cohise, hereditary chief of the Chiricahua Apaches. His stature is such that his people are identified by him, the Chokonen under Cochise, and his son rides as Geronimo's lieutenant through the protracted Arizona wars. Though he belongs to an earlier chapter of Apache resistance, his legacy is the authority Naiche inherits and the standard against which the next generation's leaders are measured.

General O. O. Howard

minor

Also known as General Howard, Howard, Major General O. O. Howard

U.S. general who negotiated with Cochise.

General George Crook

minor

Also known as General Crook, Brigadier General Crook

U.S. Army general who pursued Geronimo.

Captain Lawton

minor

Also known as Lawton

U.S. Army officer who led pursuit of Geronimo.

Alope

minor

Geronimo's first wife, killed by Mexican soldiers.

Usen

minor

Apache creator deity and spiritual figure.

Chihuahua

minor

Apache leader and warrior allied with Geronimo.

Victoria

minor

Apache chief who led raids against Mexicans.

Asa Deklugie

minor

Also known as Asa, Mrs. Asa Deklugie

Apache interpreter and informant for Geronimo's story.

Theodore Roosevelt

minor

Also known as President Theodore Roosevelt, President Roosevelt

U.S. president who met Geronimo at the World's Fair.

William Berne

minor

Also known as Berne

U.S. Army scout and interpreter.

Dr. J. M. Greenwood

minor

Also known as Dr. Greenwood

Educator who helped record Geronimo's story.

Lieutenant Purington

minor

Also known as Lieutenant Purington 49

U.S. Army officer who guarded Geronimo.

Porico

minor

Also known as Loco, John Loco, White Horse, Na-ta-neal

Apache warrior and ally of Geronimo.

Maco

minor

Apache warrior mentioned in Geronimo's raids.

Hunt

minor

U.S. Army officer or scout mentioned in the story.

Major Charles W. Taylor

minor

Also known as Charlie, Charley

U.S. Army officer who interacted with Geronimo.

Mr. George Wratton

minor

Also known as George Wratton, Wratton

U.S. Army officer or agent involved with Apaches.

J. D. Prewitt

minor

Also known as Prewitt

U.S. Army officer involved in Apache affairs.

Dragon

minor

Apache warrior or figure in Geronimo's narrative.

Governor Torres

minor

Also known as Governor Torres of Sonora

Mexican governor involved in Apache conflicts.

General West

minor

U.S. Army general mentioned in the narrative.

Star

minor

Apache woman or figure mentioned in the story.