CAVE GUN FROM GERONIMO-MANGAS CAMP, POSSIBLY CARRIED AT

Chiricahua Apache 73 Winchester Carbine, s/n removed, with butt of rifle wrapped in hide, as it was common practice to remove the butt plate for use as a buffalo hide scraper. 39" overall. Heavily corroded.From last camp of Geronimo (Chricahua Apache) before surrender, weapons were hidden in caves. Mangas was a nephew of the Chief Mangas Coloradas, unifier of the Apache Nation, (killed in 1863). They hid in the Dragoon Mountains of Arizona, surrendered in Sept 1886 in Skeleton Canyon, AZ.Apaches were generally not friendly with the Lakota Sioux, but weapons were traded from the Northern Plains.Given to Carl Moon with provenance going back to 1886. Pictured in numerous books and articles, most significantly pages 314-315 of "In Search of Wild Indians" and page 77 of "Who's Who in American Indian Relics, No. 9".From the Moon collection.To Thomas J. Driebe collection, Moscow, Pennsylvania.Letter from Wendell Grangaard, President of The Guns of History, provides translation of Togia: On left wrist: "Thunder Bull..rode with Sore Back-He Dog..Thunder Bull..stealer..horse..kill..many..soldier..kill..enemy"; PLUS "Thunder Bull.. took..many..buffalo..four and half day buffalo hunt..10 buffalo"; on the right wrist "Greasy Grass .. Heyoka Akicita warrior society...took..soldier...horse..rode with Bear Rib the Younger.. took two rifles...Cavalry soldiers." PLUS "Thunder Bull buried..Paha Sapa (Black Hills).. wind cave Thunder Bull". Thunder Bull was born in 1848, an Oglala Sioux. He grew up to be a great warrior and joined the Sore Back of He Dog Cankahua Band. Thunder Bull also became a member of the special society Heyoka Akicita (police) Warrior Society. He married Twin in 1874, and then married Twin's sister Walks or Annie in 1875. Twin and Thunder Bull had two daughters - Jennie and Cora. Thunder Bull and Annie Walks had two sons, Shield and Joseph and one daughter, Susan. Thunder Bull fought at the battles of Rosebud, Little Big Horn and Wolf Mountain. As stated on the rifle, Thunder Bull fought two rifles from the soldiers and he rode with Bear Rib the Younger at Grease Grass (Little Bighorn). Thunder Bull surrendered with Crazy Horse and settled in the Medicine Root District on the Pine Ridge Reservation, north of present day Oglala on the White River. Thunder Bull accepted Catholicism and was given the name Charles. He became a first sergeant in one of the Army's Indian Companies, and also served on the Indian Police Force. His son, Shield attended the Carlisle Indian School, and many of his descendents have served on tribal councils. When Charles died in 1914, he was buried in Wind Cave in the Black Hills as it is written on the rifle. Since he was a Heyoka Akicita warrior, he was buried in a cave to guard the underworld. I believe this to be one of the few surviving burial guns".