By Ruben Leyva

In Spanish, the nickname "Red Sleeves" translates as Mangas Coloradas. Some attribute the name to the Apache leader's red colored shirt he acquired during a raid. I will not include his Apache name in this editorial.

On January 18, 1863, U.S. Army troops killed this tall, imposing leader after torturing him at Fort McLane. His body was dismembered, and his skull was sent to the Smithsonian for phrenology. The Apache believe he took his desecrated body into the Apache afterlife. He was 70 years old when the troops tortured and murdered him. 

If my family's genealogy based on baptism records is accurate, he was baptized on April 26, 1792, and adopted by other Maturino family members. Joseph Marcelino Maturino Silba, AKA Mahko, and his wife had unexpectedly lost a boy and a girl born around the same time as Mangas Coloradas was born. With that adoption, Mahko and his wife filled the void caused by the loss of their children and helped Mangas deal with the loss of his biological parents, Ascensio and Diega.

As a descendant of the Leyva family, who co-founded the community of Mangas in Catron County, my older cousins, who were raised there, have shared with me family stories connecting us to the nearby Mangas Springs and the Mangas Mountains, our family's stronghold. Mangas Coloradas' southern stronghold was near Mangas Springs in Grant County.

Mangas Coloradas's move southward to Mangas Springs in the 1850s likely resulted from the U.S. Indian agent's desire to have him nearby for surveillance. Born a Mogollon Apache, also known as a Bedonkohe, he  represented one of the four bands of Chiricahua Apache. He married a beautiful Chihene woman, representing another of the four bands, which created an alliance between the groups. Following the custom, Mangas Coloradas moved to his wife's family. He brought a following and served as a leader of his wife's Chihene and a small group of Bedonkohe.

Mangas' brother-in-law, Felis Quiñones, married Mangas' biological sister, Guadalupe Maturino. Felis, a mestizo (meaning one Spanish and one Native parent), was noted for his intelligence and fluency in Spanish. It was said that he had received an education at the El Paso Mission. Felis's popularity grew, and he became known as "Phalios Palacios," leading his wife's Bedonkohe.

In November 1834, Mahko lived by the Gila River near the Arizona-New Mexico border. He was recognized as a peaceful rancher who maintained a respectful relationship with Mexicans. Jason Betzinez, the author of *I Fought with Geronimo,* argues that Mahko's character contributed to his people's harmonious relationships with Mexican ranchers. Mahko cultivated corn, raised horses, and traded with them, often sharing food supplies like beef, venison, and corn with less fortunate Apaches during the winter at no cost. His acts of kindness underscored the contrasting lifestyles and political divisions among the Apaches—between those who farmed and those who participated in raiding.

Mangas Coloradas is described in the book, McDonald Boyer's and Duffy Gayton's *Apache Mothers and Daughters.* The authors have documented that Mangas Coloradas' eyes were never open wide and that "his slightly curved nose shone brightly," characteristically true of males in my family. He was probably the leader once known as 'Fuerte,' meaning "strong" in Spanish. Was this earlier identifier bestowed upon him because his height exceeded six and a half feet? Or because he had risen from an orphan to one of the most notable Apache leaders ever? He was in good physical shape, and his hair hung long and straight. He had a large head and a broad chin. He had a thin-lipped mouth. His people and other leaders highly respected him.

But were Mangas Coloradas and Geronimo related? Popular sources state that Geronimo was born on June 16, 1829. My records indicate he was christened José Manuel Maturino within 24 hours of his birth on June 17, 1828, in Durango, Mexico. This ancestor, José Manuel, born a year earlier, might not be the same person whom the Mexicans nicknamed Geronimo; however, as a descendant of Mahko myself, I believe that he is. His Uncle Mangas Coloradas's daughters married Cochise and Victorio.

Geronimo's sister Ish-ton, Antonia (An-ton-ia) Maturino, married the Apache Lino Leyva, AKA 'Juh' (pronounced Whoa). Juh led the Nednhi-Ndendahe band of Chiricahua. Antonia was born in 1830. Geronimo's younger brother, Vicente Maturino, was born in 1832. According to author Edwin R. Sweeney, Vicente rode with Victorio during the Victorio War (1879-1880). These were some of Mangas Coloradas's more well-known 'bida'é' (paternal nephews and nieces).

Mangas Coloradas was quite the diplomat. He married his daughter to Cochise, the leader of the Chokonen band, and married other daughters to leaders of different bands and tribes. Mangas Coloradas often visited his daughters, who lived with these other leaders and aligned himself closely with Cochise. Mangas Coloradas is regarded as one of our most significant leaders. His military prowess is well-documented among Mexicans and Americans.

In 1846, U.S. Army General Stephen W. Kearny's pack train headed to California, stopped and camped near an Apache village in Mangas Coloradas' territory, at present-day Silver City. In his book *Mangas Coloradas: Chief of the Chiricahua Apache* Edwin R. Sweeney describes the meeting between Kearny and Mangas. In 1852, Mangas Coloradas and other Apache leaders, including one of his adopted siblings Nerio AKA 'Negrito' signed a Treaty with the United States, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate and proclaimed by President Franklin Pierce.

Mangas Coloradas, AKA José Marcelino Sixto Maturino, was raised to lead by his adoptive father. The similarity in their names supported their close relationship. Makho, the leader of the Bedonkohe, was recognized for his goodness and care in raising Mangas alongside his well-known adopted siblings, including Julian "Łitan," Nerio, Francisco "Maturán" Silba (the father of Escani, my ancestor), Miguel, and Nicasio (possibly the father of Geronimo, Taklishim). The Bedonkohe had ties to Mexico, living in the Sierra Madre during the early 1800s, and had close relations with the Ndendahe. On the northern end of their range, Zuni elder Greg Yawakia agrees with the Apache that the Bedonkohe traveled as far north as the Zuni Salt Lake in Catron County, New Mexico (60 miles South of the Zuni Pueblo).

The Bedonkohe Apache medicine man and war leader Geronimo discusses his family in his biography, *Geronimo's Story of His Life.* He mentions that when his grandfather Mahko passed away, Mangas Coloradas assumed the role of "Chief of the Bedonkohe." But what about Geronimo's father? We know that Nicasio Maturino had as many as 10 children. Geronimo talked about eight (four girls and four boys). I have counted that Nicasio had four girls and six boys, although two boys may not have survived. Geronimo was uncertain of his mother's Spanish name but thought it was Juana. I have identified a grandmother named Juana.

The legacy of Mahko and Mangas Coloradas extends beyond Apache leadership. Mahko nurtured a young orphan into a strong leader who influenced generations, while Mangas Coloradas skillfully navigated alliances and earned respect. Their stories, often distorted in mainstream narratives, emphasize the importance of reclaiming their histories. I want to honor their contributions and the strength of their descendants, like Geronimo and myself, by sharing these family histories. The late White Mountain Apache, once known as Eva Watt, reflected on family histories and stated, "It's what was going on long years ago that's finished with now. For us, it's mostly stories about our relatives and where they went and all they used to do..., so you can see what happened to them and know what they were thinking... Those stories are like those people's tracks."

I deeply connect with Mrs. Watt's comments.