Cruel & Unusual Punishment

We went to Geronimo's grave site a few years ago. He died February 17, 1909. This coming February will be the 100 year anniversary of his death.For us, it was a spiritual journey. When we went to Geronimo's grave, we went out of respect. We went to honor him and his memory. While he made many request to return to his homeland, the U.S. Government never allowed him to do so, despite what promises had been made to him.He remained a prisoner of war for the rest of his life. The following quote was when he addressed President Theodore Roosevelt regarding his request to return to Arizona. "that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my father's land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people, placed in their native homes would increase in numbers rather than diminish as at present, and that our name would not become extinct." I referred to Geronimo in my blog post of 6-24-2008 titled "Where The Trees Know My Name" to express how connected I feel to that particular piece of land. When My Honey and I visited Geronimo's grave we found that many others had made the same journey to leave an offering and to show that even a century later Geronimo has not been forgotten. We were the only people present at that time but we did not feel alone. The wind blowing through the trees seemed to speak to us. While we stood near the grave site at the Cache River we each said our own silent prayer for those who came before as well as those who will come long after we are gone. We left feeling that that our spirits had been enriched from the experience. I personally believe that it was cruel and unusual punishment to not allow Geronimo to return to his homeland during his lifetime and even more so to have him buried where the trees do not know his name. I do not know the Apache tribes' opinion or his descendants wishes regarding the subject. I do not pretend to be an expert on the subject of Geronimo by merely studying history books, though I've read extensively on the subject of Native American Tribes. I do have a definite opinion on the subject. It seems to me that it would be appropriate to have his grave site relocated back to Arizona in 2009. A little too late but a little justice even 100 years late would be better than nothing.