The next encounter occurred in 1851 with the appearance of
the US Boundary Commission led by John Russell Bartlett and his guide John
Cremony at Santa Rita Del Cobre mine. The Commission was commissioned by
Washington to survey a final boundary between the United States and Mexico as a
prelude to the Gadsden Purchase of 1853-54 in which American would purchase the
territory south of the Gila River for $10 million dollars. Driving the deal was
the desire to develop a transcontinental railroad from New Orleans to Los
Angeles, to open the southwest to Southern expansion even though its deserts
did not lend itself to plantations, slavery and cotton. The problem with the
Bartlett Commission was that the Apaches, who had been here for centuries, were
never consulted even though the area claimed ran right through the heart of
their Chiricahua land! Mangas Coloradas and Cochise were deeply offended by the
lack of respect that this Pindah assumption revealed.
The desire of Mangus Coloradas to establish good relations
with the Pindah was undermined by the general American attitude shared by
Bartlett and Cremony that Apaches were uncivilized, doomed to extinction and
could quickly be marginalized. White man’s superiority, Manifest Destiny and
racism were so ingrained in the Western psychic that for all practical
practices modus operands between the two peoples was well neigh impossible.
Americans showed no desire to appreciate Apache culture, and were often
insulting in their demeanor. Two incidents reflected the cultural chasm between
the two people: two Mexican youth who had been captured and raised by the
Apache sought asylum from Bartlett and although he provide monetary recompense
of $212.00 to the adopted Apache parents for their return the exchange was
looked upon as a terrible insult to Mangus hospitality as they had been feeding
the Commission and showed the American ignorance about Apache ways in which
young Mexicans often were captured and raised Apache as a way to replenish
their losses. Powerful emotional and familial ties developed that no amount of
money could replace. Worse Bartlett later refused to turn over a teamster who
got angry and killed an Apache. Mangus Coloradas insisted on Apace justice but
Bartlett insisted that American law trumpet Apache law! Bartlett offered $20.00 to settle the matter
with the aggrieved family which fell far short of avenging the injustice that
Apache jurisprudence demanded. Relations between Bartlett and Mangus Coloradas
broke over this matter – as the Apaches raided their horses and Bartlett soon
left Santa Rita Del Cobre. (Cf, Cremony, Life, Chs.5 & 6).
Cochise as he waited for his Father-in-law Mangas to visit
reflected on the growing intrusion of the Pindah in their lands. His instincts
told him that they were dangerous and Apaches would have to be careful in their
dealings. Though lighter in complexion than Mexicans, they apparently shared a
similar hunger for gold, silver, copper, land and were not adverse to using
guns or treachery to get their way, as their war with Mexico showed. He
remembered the elders recounting the arrival of the Spaniards with their iron
jackets, muskets, and strange animals and how they cruelly attacked and
destroyed the Pueblo people with the destruction of Acoma being one of the
worse incidents. He wondered about his
own people’s fate. Pausing, Cochise rises, takes a deep breath of sweet pine
air, watches his wife Dos-te-she prepare food, while his oldest son Taza, about 10 years old, arm wrestles with a
friend kicking up a cloud of dust. “Best time is at dusk”, Cochise muses,
reds/pinks/blues/greens shimmer as the setting sun disappears in direction of
Tucson, birds are quiet, life rests except for rattlesnakes that enjoy the
coolness of the evening and hunt their prey. Apaches don’t like moving at night
because snake bites often require healing by a medicine doctor. Cochise calls
for Coyuntura, his alter ego and confidant. He trusted his brother’s insight
and discernment and often in sweat would share his concerns and fears about
their future. He asks Coyuntura what brings Mangas to our campfire. Coyuntura
replies Bartlett! At that moment he hears horses approaching the Strong hold
and realizes it is Magnus with his lieutenants Delgadito and Victoria. Mangas
rides a superb grey and easily dismounts greeting Cochise. They gather around
the campfire invoking the Great Spirit to bless their meeting as it has serious
implications for Chiricahuas. Mangas is a generation older than Cochise and
leads the Chihenne band located in Southwestern New Mexico bounded by the Gila
River and the Mogollon/Black Mountains. Because of his physical size, Mangas
intimidates all he encounters, but as Cochise had come to realize, Mangas was
very shrewd about the need of unity and sought to strengthen the hand of the
Chiricahuas by marrying off his 2 daughters to other Apaches including one to
White Mountain, Katuhala, and the other to Coyotero, Cosito. Cochise had
learned a lot from Mangas since his marriage with Dos-te -she ,and Mangas saw
in Cochise a leader who had both the sagacity and skill of the legendary Child
of Water and hopefully could realize his dream of bringing Apaches together.
After puffing a cigarette and passing it around, Cochise asked Mangas about the
encounter with Bartlett. Mangas grabbed a handful of sand and threw it on the
ground with disgust. “I went seeking understanding/peace and they spit on me!”
He continues: “I even offered to fight with them against the Mexicans and then
Bartlett insists that we must stop our raiding of Mexicans as Pindah now are at
peace!” It’s enough to make me sick. How dare they come into our lands and tell
us what do! The others felt the anger
mounting within Mangas as he continues to speak …gesturing with his “red
sleeves”: “they insulted us with notion of white man’s justice in which they
think everything can be solved with money … as though we can eat money or money
can assuage hurt felt over the death of an Apache!” Mangas pauses, Cochise
respectively asks “what are we do with Pindah now that they claim our land as theirs?”
Mangas hesitates and then replies “play for time until we get a better handle
on these intruders from the East.” What
was not said was how well armed the Americans were with their Spencer’s and
Henry repeating rifles! Venus moves across the night sky, logs crackle as fire
burns low, and Cochise motions for the counsel to end. Everyone slowly rises
and made their ways to wickups to reflect on meaning of Mangas story for the
Apaches. As Cochise moves across the camp he winces as he hears the ominous hoot
of an Owl --- and muses: “a bad sign sound for the future of Chiricahuas”.
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