Statement from the National Museum of the American Indian on Geronimo

By Tim Johnson (Mohawk), NMAI Associate Director for Museum Programs

As our mission statement directs, "The National Museum of the American Indian is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present, and future. . . . " The essential value of this commitment, and need for it, was confirmed this week when a defective historical metaphor, absent of deliberation and veracity, was fashioned, expressed, and spread around the world.

One could hardly think of a more egregious insult than to be compared or linked to Osama Bin Laden. But this is what happened when the otherwise exacting military operation that brought Bin Laden to justice gave him, or the operation, the code name Geronimo. Like millions of people in this country and around the world, American Indians greeted news of the successful tactical strike with a great sense of pride, satisfaction, and relief, as well as ongoing sorrow for the thousands of innocent people who died due to Bin Laden's pervasive violence. So it came as a painful surprise and disappointment when, as details emerged of the chronology of the operation, the first report of Bin Laden's death from the Navy SEAL Team Six was "Geronimo EKIA" (enemy killed in action).

Unfortunately, there exist latent perceptions of Geronimo within American folk culture that remain significantly divorced from reality. This particular issue demonstrates the void that exists and the harm that can be done when history is rendered incomplete. Geronimo was indeed pursued by the U.S. armed forces, but his tragic public story has far different antecedents, beginning with the massacre of his wife and children by Mexican forces, continued through his defense of the Apache homeland, and ending with his long imprisonment in places distantly removed from the southwestern lands that forged his culture and identity, including Fort Pickens, Florida. Geronimo was a Native patriot whose people experienced the relentless and violent encroachments of Mexican and American settlers and forces. Neither he, nor any American Indian, should be linked to Osama Bin Laden.

It remains clear that a significant amount of work remains to round out the American public's deeper understanding of American Indian history and culture. At the National Museum of the American Indian we'll certainly do our part, in partnership with American Indian nations, communities, and organizations across the country, to advance that understanding. As this particularly unfortunate episode reveals, it's long past time to fill in the missing pages of American history.

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