Red Indian Chief,s name is "Geronimo" is it Spanish?
The name cropped up ,under famous Red Indians "Geronimo"sounds of Spanish origin ,but is it?
2 Answers
In reading a book in Spanish, written during the Indian wars in México, called "Memorias" written by Coronel Joaquín Terrazas, Gerónimo shows up frequently.
The name "Gerónimo", has a Latin origin: Hieronimus, an adaptation of the Greek Hieronymus, and was used by the Spaniards as Jerónimo. His name in his Indian language was "Goyaalé or "Gokhlaye" (at least that was the way it sounded to the Spaniards of the time).
In the time of Gerónimo, Mexico had already gained its independence from Spain.
So it was in truth the Mexicans that gave him the name as we now know it.
There is a saint called San Jeronimo or San Geronimo (St. Jerome). At one time during a raid in Sonora the local patron saint or church of the locality was said to be San Geronimo. The victims under attack were praying or pleading for divine help through San Jeronimo and it goes like this" Jeronimo ayudamos" or "Geronimo please help us") The Apaches kept hearing the pleas and thereafter Geronimo had earned his name. They (the Apaches sometimes would earn their names as warriors in various ways proving themselves in battle, certain skills, oddities they possessed or showed or even like Mangas Coloradas, who is said to have worn a red shirt that he kept its sleeves even when he had no more shirt. He wore the shirt and red sleeves so long he became known to the Hispanics as Mangas Coloradas (Red Sleeves). A lot of these southwest Apaches spoke their native Athabascan language(s) and also Spanish for they interacted with the Spanish for over 400 some years. They stole persons from each other for slavery or trading or leverage purposes. Some of the Apaches were even Hispanic and Hispanics were know to have married Apaches as well. You must remember that from the earliest days of colonization Spanish had not brought women and even the most notable took Indigenas (Native Americans) as mates. Hernan Cortez married the Malinche. Juan de Onate married the grandaughter of Montezuma. The Pocahaontas story was a common one in the New World.
