Cochise

Cochise

Cochise was born in the Southeastern most part of Arizona around the year 1810. His descendant line is vaguely known except that he was a descendant of a long line of Apache Chiefs. His father raised him to follow in his footsteps. Even though the Apache leaders didn’t inherit their positions, Cochise had an advantage because he was the son of a chief. He was a member of the elite which was a large contributor to his becoming Chief.

The Apaches believed that at every stage of life, they were to throw a ceremony or ritual marking it. When Cochise was four days old, he was placed in a cradle called a “tosch” with a small bag containing either pollen or a claw from a hummingbird attached to it. The cradle was built by a Shaman and was used to protect Cochise from evil spirits. When Cochise first learned to walk, there would have been a ceremony to honor his first pair of moccasins. These ceremonies are social occasions to the Apache people, during which they danced, sang, and had huge feasts.

Cochise was taught Apache beliefs by his parents as soon as he was able to comprehend them. Through his parents and Apache beliefs, he was taught about Usen, the Apache God, The White Painted Woman, and The Mountain Spirits- who were king beings who the Apache’s thought to have lived in the caves on Cochise’s homeland. They were thought to be special protectors and helped with important ceremonies. Because of these spirits, the Apaches had a strong connection to the mountains, so they were apprehensive to move away. Cochise was also taught about Child of the Water, and Power, which is the force that raged before the universe was contained in all things.

When Cochise was seventeen years old, he became an apprentice warrior called a “dikohe” and given a different name. They gave him the name Goci, which means “his nose” referring to his large and noticeable nose. The name Goci was later turned into Cochise. He was taught by the Apaches that strict mental and physical discipline was of the utmost importance and their lives depended on it. It is said that in time, Cochise memorized every rock, tree, and hole in the Chiricahua Territory. He was also taught that “counting coup” and “stealing stealthily” were the best ways of showing enemies that you had the upper hand, rather than slaughtering others which would lead to more bloodshed.

In the later years of 1830, Cochise married a woman by the name of Dos-teh-seh who was the daughter of Magnus Colorados. This marriage resulted in the twenty-five year alliance of the Chiricahua. He had a son in 1842 and a second son in 1856. He had two daughters by another wife in the 1850’s

In his prime, Cochise weighed approximately 175 pounds and stood 5 feet 10 inches tall. He had a strong Roman nose, a high forehead, and distinguishing cheekbones. He had long black hair that hung to his shoulders that he wore in traditional Roman style.

In the late 1840’s and early 1850’s, Cochise emerged as the principle leader of the Chokonen band of Chiricahuas.

In 1831, Mexico went to war against the Apache Indians. On May21, 1832 there was a three day battle with the Mexicans in New Mexico near the Mogollan Mountains which resulted in huge casualties on both sides. In February on 1835, the Apaches led a war party to Sonora, Mexico. This made Mexico turn to deceit and trickery. They put a bounty on the skulls of Apache people and they hired mercenaries to exterminate them. This made the Apaches angry and revenge was a large factor in the warfare tactics of the Chiricahua. The Mexican mercenaries massacred a huge number of Apaches on April 22, 1837 in the Southwestern part of New Mexico. Then in Janos, Chihuahua, the Sonoran troops killed hundreds more in August 1844. Then 148 Apaches were massacred by Anglo-Mexican scalp-hunters at Galeana, Chihuahua on July 7, 1846 which probably was how Cochise’s father was killed. On June 21, 1848, Cochise led an assault on Fronteras, Sonora, and was captured. He was held captive for six weeks until his tribe exchanged eleven Mexican captives for him.

Cochise was friendly with the white people until the year 1861, when he waged a war against the United States in which he was noted for his military skill, integrity, and courage. The war started when Lieutenant