Like everyone else in this country, American Indians were enthralled, joyous, and proud to know U.S. Navy Seals had killed the madman behind 9/11. Then came the details, specifically the transmission between the soldiers on the ground and the leadership stateside which stated "EKIA Geronimo". Translation: Enemy Killed In Action Geronimo. Indians learned along with everyone else that the code name for the most notorious criminal this side of Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein was that of a bona fide American Indian hero. How quaint. And in a strange way, perhaps, how fitting. Therefore, following fascination, joy, and pride, the Indigenous people here get to add shame and finally anger to what would be, could be, and should otherwise be, a celebration.
There it was, splashed all over the television: people in Times Square, the White House, and other locales coming together and dancing, singing, chanting "USA," because "Geronimo" was dead. It's bad enough that Indians have to deal with treaty violations literally on a daily basis. It's bad enough to have the lowest life expectancy according to the Centers for Disease Control. It's not enough that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights documents that Indian housing, education, and infrastructure is substandard. It's not enough to suffer the worst youth suicide rate in this society. It's not enough that this country entertains itself at sporting events by mocking us. It's not enough to be at the worst end of virtually every single economic and social indicator ever known. We can't even enjoy the slightest bit of national unity at a time when peace-loving people all over the world were breathing a sigh of relief. Even that gets taken from us by some idiot who thought code-naming Osama bin Laden as Geronimo would be funny or cute.
Not a Terrorist
Geronimo, as many know, resisted white encroachment by raiding American and Mexican settlements. After his family, including two little girls, were killed by the Mexican military, he swore to take vengeance on all Apache enemies, and he did so with fervor. In the end, thousands of American and Mexican troops searched for him and a few holdouts but could not defeat him. Starving and outnumbered, he finally surrendered to live out his days as a prisoner of war, never to see his homeland again. For these reasons, Geronimo is one of the first names mentioned when Indians discuss Indian heroes. And yet, this unrelenting hero of American Indian resistance somehow rang a bell when the government and military intelligentsia thought of bin Laden.
A Freudian Slip?
Therein lies the rub. What this episode shows is that deep down at the core of its soul, this country still has not resolved its disdain for the American Indian. And it is in this light that the naming of bin Laden as Geronimo might have been spot on. Perhaps it's the guilt caused by a hangover from history. Maybe it's simply not comprehending what to do when faced with your own ancestral indebtedness. Whatever the psychological or pathological explanation, America needs to come to grips with who it wants to be remembered as when it comes to the real Native Americans. Already the BBC and other foreign press has made note of this recent impropriety. American Indians across the hemisphere are united in denouncing the moniker. With tribal, geographical, and historical differences, anytime you bring Indians together in anything, even umbrage, you've accomplished a great deal.
An executive apology might be in order. It would go a long way towards healing this latest wound. America has long had serious difficulty with apologies for Indians. The massacres and theft experienced by the Aboriginals here remain largely unaddressed and unaccounted for. American Indians serve in the military in higher than average numbers, per capita. By many accounts, Indian service in the military has long been exemplary. With this as a backdrop, Indian people should have been able to feel immense pride in the operation to take bin Laden down. Rather, we're left with the indignity of knowing an Indian hero will be forever linked with an international pariah. That is worth at the very least a mea culpa. It would show modern Indians that this is not the dead Old West, but a vibrant and hopeful New World. Geronimo is dead. Long live Geronimo.
Sources
- Lowest Life Expectancy
- Worst Youth Suicide Rate pg. 37
- A Quiet Crisis
- American Indian Mascots
- BBC: Why Geronimo?
- Indians in the Military
- Indians in the Army
