Geronimo was undoubtedly a brave warrior, whether he was a hero or a villain depends on who you ask. To Mexicans and Americans in the Southwest he was a murderer. One San Antonio reporter even said, "[He was] five feet eight inches tall and a paltry 9,000 feet." (Stout 107). To the rest of the country he was a celebrity and to his people he was a courageous and noble leader. However you look at it, his name and actions have left an everlasting mark on American soil. His legend has no exact starting point, although scholars know that he was born in the late 1820s. He was the descendant of a respected family, his grandfather Mahko, the chief of their tribe before his father, Talkishim, or "the Grey". He was born into the Chiricahua tribe, one of many Apache bands in the area. His original Apache name was Goyahkla meaning "he who yawns". His birthplace is thought to be somewhere near present-day Clifton, Arizona, although no one knows for sure; Geronimo called it “No-dayohn Canyon”. He says he has three brothers and four sisters, but most likely had only one blood sister, his sister Nahdoste. Their language only had one word for both brother and cousin, so telling them apart was nearly impossible. (Stout 1-10)Growing up in the tribe, Geronimo learned the beliefs and customs of his people. They believed in a supreme power called Usen. According to their origin story, a young boy was hidden by a painted woman. When he grew up, he went hunting and faced a dragon which he then killed. Usen then taught the boy to hunt and gather medicinal herbs. This boy's name was Apache, the founder of all Apache tribes. (Barrett 3-11) The Apache also believed in supernatural forces. Sometimes... middle of paper......ans.org. American Indian Heritage Foundation. 2013. Web. October 2013. .“Geronimo”. “The Project Gutenberg eBook of Geronimo's life story.” Network. March 7, 2014. "Geronimo Biography: Facts, Birthday, Life Story biography.com." Biography.com. Arts and entertainment networks. 2013. Web. 12 November 2013. .“Geronimo (ca. 1829 – 1909) – Oklahoma State University.” Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. 2007. Network. 12 December 2013. .SM Barrett. Geronimo's life story. New York: Duffield and Company, 1906. Web. 12 December 2014. < http://www.ibilio.org/ebooks/Geronimo >.Stout, Mary. Geronimo: a biography. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Biographies, 2009. Print.