I'm writing this month's feature because I feel that Geronimo, the legendary Apache, is becoming a "political football." Geronimo is being degraded to just an "urban legend" because of a bitter battle to retrieve parts of his remains from  a secret society called "The 'Skull & Bones.' The secret society was founded at Yale University  in 1832. A search on the Internet will return well over fourteen thousand pages devoted to Geronimo and the Skull and Bones Society, even CBS 60 Minutes has covered the strange secret society. A quick search on the Skull and Bones Society will bring forth forty-four thousand pages. Seems everyone has a variety of facts but which are true is up to the reader, those who do serious research will have a better understanding of this intriguing piece of history of America's past.

A friend sent me an email about an online petition, Petition to Repatriate Geronimo's Skull, by Will Russell. The petition alleges that the skull of Geronimo was taken from his grave and now resides in  Connecticut at Yale University inside of a building called "The Tomb," pictured on the left. I emailed Will Russell to verify the petition was authentic. He has convinced me that the records prove that Geronimo's skull is in "The Tomb."

The petition claims that in 1918, several men, including a man named Prescott Bush, disturbed the grave of Geronimo by taking his skull. The reason for this "courageous" deed  was to satisfy the initiation into a secret fraternity called the "Skull and Bones." The petition alleges, "The men removed Geronimo's head and a prized silver bridle which had been buried with him. Using acid and amid laughter, they stripped Geronimo's head of hair and flesh. They then took their "trophies" back to Yale University and put them on display in the clubhouse of the secret fraternity "Skull & Bones."

The petition also claims "Several years ago, a Skull & Bones member anonymously "leaked" information regarding the society and "The Tomb." This included documents and photographs. One of the documents detailed Prescott Bush's grave robbing exploits. One of the photographs was of a skull and bridle on a shelf, next to a framed photograph of Geronimo. Only further investigation by qualified officials on both sides of the table will resolve this ongoing political nightmare for the Apache Indian Nation. We can not undue what our fathers before us did but if a awful deed was done in 1918, then Americans should sign the online Petition. Then we can mend the hearts that have been heavy with this alleged deed in 1918. 

Geronimo's Request

The legendary Apache warrior Geronimo died a captive of the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1909 and was buried there in an Apache cemetery.( article). Today the grave is covered by a concrete slab and marked with a pyramid of stones that were added after 1918. Geronimo's own request was to be buried where his people were, in Arizona. Geronimo was imprisoned at Fort Pickens, Florida. In 1894 he was moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In his old age Geronimo became something of a celebrity. He appeared at fairs, including the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and selling souvenirs and photographs of himself. However, he was not allowed to return to the land of his birth. He rode in the United States President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade. He died of pneumonia at Fort Sill, where he is now buried at the Apache Indian Prisoner of War cemetery.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a Federal law passed in 1990. NAGPRA provides a process for museums and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items -- human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony - to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. 

I agree with many others who think that this 1990 law should be presented to our representatives in addition to Will Russell's petition, perhaps the petition could be bypassed and ALL of Geronimo's remains could be given back to the Apache Indians, for a proper burial, as he deserves. To keep Geronimo's  remains at Fort Sill is comparable to an eternity of punishment for his surviving descendants. I hope the entire remains of Geronimo will be reburied with the other great men of the Apache Nation in Arizona.

The Yale Herald - October 24, 2003 - Of skulls and bones: More secrets of the tomb

The Petition to Repatriate Geronimo's Skull Petition to U.S. Congress was created by First Nations and written by Will Russell (russell@vanguardconsulting.us).