Cochise: "I Am Alone"

“I Am Alone,” written by Cochise was for me a moving piece of writing. From reading the intro about Cochise, he one of the four main was a leader of the Chiricahua Apaches, one of the four main Apache groups. Cochise was one of the many Native Americans who fought to save his people and preserve their right to the land which he and his ancestors had occupied. “I Am Alone,” was part of a speech given by Cochise to the Americans of his time. This speech encapsulates many of the feelings and emotions he had experienced during much of the injustice placed upon him and his people.
Cochise begins his speech reliving his experiences along with those of his people during their time. He talks of the struggles they initially had with the Spanish and Mexican soldiers. Cochise explains that after some warring his people became strong and came to not fear the soldiers. Cochise then begins to describe his experiences with the white men as they came into his land. He describes them first as being friends and explains how his people treated them peacefully as they slowly came to establish themselves in his valley. Cochise describes his relationship with the whites as a cordial one as they did favors for him and his people and in return Cochise and his people returned these favors and gestures to the whites. As time continued to pass more and more whites made their way into the land and soon the favors which previously had been exchanged seemed to die out and war arose among the Chiricahua Apaches and the whites.
This speech continues on and its purpose is revealed. Cochise had made a treaty with the whites and after having found that this treaty involved them being subject to living on a harsh reservation he broke off the treaty which was what started the warring among the white and these certain apaches. One part of this speech seems to describe the feelings that Cochise had as he, being a leader for his people, had come to a decision concerning the salvation and best possible option for his people. Cochise simply dictates to those Americans, “I have come to you, not from any love for you or for your great father in Washington, or from any regard for his or your wishes, but as a conquered chief, to try to save alive the few people that still remain to me.” This part of Cochise speech speaks volumes as he comes before the American people destitute and war stricken. Cochise, being a leader for the Apaches does what he feels best which is to submit to the whites wishes and retain alive the remainder of his people.