US Tries to Stop Geronimo Lawsuit

According to the BBC, US officials have moved to block a legal bid by descendants of Apache leader Geronimo to have his remains reburied. Geronimo's relatives say some body parts were stolen almost 100 years ago by members of a society linked to Yale University to keep in their clubhouse.

The relatives want to rebury the warrior, who died in 1909, near his birthplace in New Mexico. But the justice department has asked a federal judge to dismiss their lawsuit.

The society, known as Skull and Bones, is alleged to have stolen some of Geronimo's remains from a burial plot in Oklahoma in 1918.

Government lawyers want to remove the U.S. goverment as a defendant in the case, saying that the government was not involved in the alleged theft of bones. The same lawyers have no objection to the lawsuit's claims against the other defendants: Yale University and the Order of the Skull and Bones.

Comments

[Stafford Keer]

Nothing like a bunch of rowdy wealthy college students and faculty dishonoring a native-american.
Stafford J. keer

[SKay]

Geronimo's burial site is located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The cemetery is on the military base, in a lovely area. Geronimo's grave is very unique, a large pillar of stones. If the wild tale of the theft were true it would have taken one person a LONG time to remove the stones as they are stacked from wide bottom to narrow top and then would have had to replace them! No way. Many of our local people have never believed the story, the ones that keep the pot boiling do not even live here! We highly honor our Indian heritage and Geronimo is deeply honored.

[JVStorelli]

The question comes to mind from SKay's post: when was the current pillar of stones built? Could be that it was built in response to an earlier grave robbing, such as the alleged Skull & Bones theft.

[Jack]

Another lawsuit for alleged acts that minorities use to taunt the majority. Native Americans, Indians, whatever. Give any story to a reporter and the naive are quick to believe it because they want to! Indians were not the peaceful folks portrayed by activists. So called "stealing their land" myth is used to excuse the torture and killing of thousands of settlers.

[Susanna Friedman]

Jack needs to do some research/reading! We treated the Indians terribly and took their lands which they had for many, many years. There are many books on the subject available. Would you fight if someone took your home/land away? And the government has yet to honestly compensate the Indians for oil, as the Indian Bureau is a mess. This still goes on today with trying to get more land away from them, especially when uranium was discovered! I am a librarian.

[Sharon]

Whether or not the claims of Geromino's relatives have merit, I think we could all agree that the Native Americans had disastrous border control policies that failed to protect them and their culture from the influx of immigrants!

[Lorin Lund]

If the government lawyers are just trying to get the fed. gov. out of being a party to the case, does that involve 'stop'ping the case? Or is the headline over-stated?

[braindumps]

Nothing go a covey of lusty well-heeled college students besides potentiality dishonoring a native-american.braindumps

[MARY ESTHER PERRAULT]

all I wish to ask of the people who are not relatives of geronimo, or native americans,why we need to honor these people. that as a country, we always help families that have POW's dead or alive get them back home. this son, Geronimo was and is a POW, (prisoner of war)in his own country! His family wants him home,in new mexico. why cant the government help in this matter, just as if he were in europe or some other place as a POW. and not only that but he asked over and over "I want to go home". The government lied to this man,and his people, and that is a fact. When will we stand together to help this family? NOW IS THE TIME! PLEASE WRITE TO OUR PRESIDENT ABOUT THIS POW!!!!!