1872: Skeleton Cave Massacre. (28 dic 1872 año – 28 dic 1872 año)

Descripción:

While the Skeleton Cave Massacre did not occur in Prescott, it is a part of the larger history of the Yavapai tribe in relation to colonization. This event is often forgotten, and the victims are mislabeled in most official manuscripts as Apache. The official manuscripts also claim that there were only 76 victims when, in reality, the number of victims was around 225. I feel that it’s important to include this event to provide some justice to the mislabeled victims so that whoever reads this may know the truth of the massacre of the Yavapai people in Skeleton Cave.

Members of the Yavapai tribe were attempting to escape forced removal by the U.S. Army forces from their ancestral homelands when they came across a cave. They believed they could defend themselves in the cave, not realizing the number of soldiers pursuing them was much larger than they thought. To say the victims of the massacre were Apache is not only disrespectful and done to generalize Indigenous populations in the Southwest, but also leaves out important historical context that gives insight as to why the incident was so violent and barbaric. Historically, the Pima and Maricopa tribes had been at odds with the Yavapai tribe. Before this incident, there had been violent interactions and battles between these groups, which is why the Pima and Maricopa willingly participated in the massacre. We know the victims were Yavapai because one sole survivor, Hoomothya (Anglo name: Mike Burn), witnessed and recorded the incident.

“Some men and women were going to come out of the cave, but Delacha said that no enemy dared to enter that close. He thought he was in such a fortified place that nothing was going to do any harm there. Nor had he imagined so many were after him. He and all the people would have been safe in the cave, if not for the rocky hill on the east wing which covered it so that they had to face the inner corners. Most of the Indians were huddled together thinking they were perfectly safe behind big boulders, and it would have been safe enough if there were only a few enemies attacking them. However, on the east wing of the cliff about 300 feet above stood about 600 men, shooting right down.”

…”but Chief Delacha urged them not to make a break. He claimed no soldier dared to come near the cave because they would drop dead. Most of the Indians were depending on the old chief because he had been a great warrior and had fought all kinds of people. He always came out victorious in all battles he had with the soldiers and the Pima Indians. But this time he was at last pinned and surrounded in a hole so that he could not defend himself nor protect his people.”

…”Delacha was killed at last. He told the Indian men and women to get behind some big rocks that stood in front of the cave so the soldiers could not see them to shoot them. The Indians thought they were strongly protected and could not be seen, but the soldiers were ordered to shoot down volleys of lead behind those big boulders against the walls of the cave. The showers of lead just shattered the Indians so that they could not be recognized as humans. The war songs ceased.”

…”After it was pronounced that all Indians were killed, the Pimas and Maricopas pounded the heads of those who were partly alive, right in front of the soldiers, too. Some of the Apache Scouts rushed in and found women and children alive, so they took them by their arms and handed them to the officers.” …”They were not satisfied about killing over 200 men, women, and innocent children. Finally, they gathered as prisoners about thirty women and children. Most all were wounded, and were partly saved from being killed by getting under rocks. After all were killed, I was led near to the cave, and noticed dead men and women laying in all shapes. It was so horrid to look on. I was shown to where my grandpa lay, and noticed at a distance a body in a little rock hole with part of his head inside. Someone told me that was the old man. I stood at the west entrance of the cave, crying to death. That was the first time I thought about my little brother and my baby sister, the ones I cared for so much since I was a child, the two I fed as their Mother would. No more hope, no more kin folks in the world. What shall I do? To give myself up to the soldiers or to the Pimas or Maricopas to be killed there with my family?”

…”There is no history of a civilized race that has murdered another as the American
soldiers had done to my people in the year of 1872. They slaughtered men, women, and children without mercy as being members of the human race. I am the only one living now to tell about what happened to my people. This slaughter of my people ended about four o'clock that afternoon. They took the captives up to the top of the cave, and they were afterward marched ahead of the soldiers. The Apache Scouts were warned to keep close watch, for the Pimas and Maricopas might slip up and kill those women and children before we knew it. There was one woman badly wounded who could not sit up on a horse, so she was left there. Some soldiers gave her some food and water, but when the soldiers were out of sight some Pimas went back and mashed her head to jelly. Such is the way the Pimas and Maricopas have feelings toward us.” -Mike Burn (Hoomothya).

Please refer to the video (minutes 1:00 - 7:43) for a compilation of photographic evidence.

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