Cultural English 424 - Geronimo; The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; Q&A

Complete Transcript

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 424.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café number 424. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

On this Café, we’re going to continue our series on famous Americans by talking about the legendary, or very famous, Native American, Geronimo. We’ll talk about a very interesting race in Alaska – a dog race – and as always, we’ll answer some of your questions. Let’s get started.

On this Café, we’re talking about one of the most famous Americans of the nineteenth century: Geronimo. Geronimo was a skilled “warrior” (warrior) – “warrior” is a fighter, someone who fights for their country or, in this case, for their tribe. Geronimo was a Native American, sometimes called an “American Indian,” who was born in June of 1829 in a small town in Mexico. He was a member of a Native American or Indian group, or “tribe,” called the Chirichua Apaches.

The “Apache” (Apache) is an American Indian tribe very famous in U.S. history, known to most people who have grown up here and been educated in the United States. It is a Native American tribe that defended their lands from the other tribes that were trying to attack them – the Navajo and the Comanche tribes – as well as from the Mexican and, later, American soldiers.

Geronimo was a very skilled hunter – someone who knew how to kill animals for food and clothing. He began hunting, as many young Native American boys did, when he was very young. The skills that made him a good hunter also made him an excellent soldier, an excellent warrior for the Apache tribe. He quickly gained the respect of other Apache for his bravery and talent. As a young man, he married an Apache woman named Alope, and they had three children together.

Geronimo’s life would change forever one day when he was out on a trading trip. He was out on a trip to buy and sell goods. While he was away from his tribe, from his home, local Mexicans attacked his village and killed his mother, his wife, and his children. Geronimo was understandably grief-stricken. When we say someone is “grief- (grief) stricken (stricken),” we mean they are very sad, so sad that they can't do anything. They are so sad they are unable to take any action.

Geronimo mourned, or remembered his dead family, in the traditional ways of the Apache tribe. He later told people that while he was morning, a mysterious or unknown voice said to him, “No gun will ever kill you,” meaning that he could not be killed by a gun. At least, that's what he thought he heard. From then on, Geronimo knew that he could be a very powerful and successful warrior. He dedicated or decided to spend the rest of his life being a warrior. He started by hunting the man who had killed his family. Then he led a series of raids or attacks on other people who he felt threatened Apache land.

In 1848, the area that the Apaches lived on was given to the United States as part of the agreement to end the Mexican-American War, which took place between 1846 and 1848. This meant that the Americans now thought that the land in the Southwest, what is now Arizona and New Mexico, belonged to the United States. The Apache had some different ideas. They, of course, thought that the land belonged to them, since they had been there for a very long time. This in turn meant that the Americans became the new enemy of the Apache – the people from whom the Apache had to defend their land.

What followed is the now-familiar story of the Americans trying to defeat the Indians in this western area of the United States. However, after several years of fighting, the chief, or leader of the Apache people, decided to reach an agreement with the Americans. The agreement was that the Apache would stop hurting and killing American settlers – people who moved to the western U.S. to build homes and find new land – and would stay in one section of the Apache land, called a “reservation.”

A “reservation” (reservation) here refers to an area of land that belongs to a Native American tribe and is governed or ruled by that tribe instead of directly by the U.S. government. This was a popular approach to dealing with Native Americans in the nineteenth century. These reservations still exist today in many places, including here in California.

However, the chief that negotiated the agreement for the Apache died, after which the U.S. government said they would not do what the agreement said and forced the Apache to leave their homes. This also, unfortunately, was very common. The U.S. government would promise something to the Native American tribe, and then they would not keep their promise. This action of the U.S. government against the Apache angered Geronimo, who believed that the Apache should stay on their lands.

He fought back, but was captured in 1877 and sent to a reservation – the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. He was only there for about four years before he escaped. After his escape in 1881, Geronimo spent the next five years waging war on Americans. Newspapers followed these battles between Geronimo's Apache warriors and the U.S. Army. Geronimo quickly became famous throughout the United States as a warrior who could not be caught. At one point there were 5,000 army soldiers hunting for Geronimo.

In 1886, however, Geronimo and his men surrendered to the United States Army. “To surrender” (surrender) means, in a war, to give up – to say, “Okay. You win.” And that's what Geronimo and his men were forced to do. They then spent the next 27 years as prisoners of war in different army prisons. Even though he was a prisoner, however, Geronimo's fame continued. When we talk about someone's “fame” (fame), we mean the situation of being famous. People still knew about Geronimo. They read stories about him. In fact, Geronimo published an autobiography – a story of his life – and met with President Theodore Roosevelt.

On February 17, 1909, Geronimo died after falling from his horse and spending the night out in the cold. It is said that on his “deathbed” – that is, the place where he died – he said that he should never have surrendered and should have kept on fighting the Americans. Although Geronimo in some ways lost to the Americans, the Americans haven't forgotten about Geronimo, even though he died more than a hundred years ago. His legacy or tradition of bravery lives on in American culture today.

During World War II, for example, his name became associated with the paratroopers from the United States Army. “Paratroopers” (paratroopers) are basically soldiers who jump out of airplanes. Obviously, they have something to prevent them from going down into the ground too fast. We would call those their “parachutes.” When the men in World War II would jump out of the planes, they would yell, or shout, “Geronimo!” as a sign to the other soldiers, perhaps, that they were brave like Geronimo, that they were not afraid, like Geronimo.

Soon, yelling “Geronimo” became a custom that people used whenever they did something that was scary, something that they needed to be brave to do. Paratroopers no longer shout “Geronimo!” when they jump, but the tradition of the yell certainly continues in American culture. More recently, the United States soldiers who were sent to Pakistan to find Osama Bin Laden – Seal Team Six, they were called – used Geronimo's name, although there's some disagreement about how it was used.

When the news was first reported, it was said that “Geronimo” was the code name or nickname for Bin Laden himself. Later, however, it was said that the mission – the operation – was called “Geronimo.” In either case, there were many Native Americans who weren’t very happy with the military using Geronimo in association with someone like Bin Laden. So, even after a hundred years, Geronimo continues to be in some ways a controversial figure in the United States.

Now let's turn to our second topic on this Café, the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race. A “dog sled” is something that is pulled by a dog. A “sled” is a means of transportation over ice and snow. We think about sleds usually with young children who go down a hill, slide down a hill, that has snow or ice on it. When I was growing up, we often went sledding on the weekends. We would go to a large hill where there was a lot of snow or ice, and then we would get on our sleds and slide down it. “Dog sleds” are sleds that are pulled by dogs.

For the past 30 or 40 years in the state of Alaska – which is located in between Canada and Russia, but part of the United States – there has been a dog sled race known as the Iditarod dog sled race. It has become one of the most famous dog sled races in the world. It is a long race, more than 1,150 miles – that would be 1,851 kilometers. And because it is Alaska, most of that is over snow and ice. The race is only about 40 years old. However, the path – or route, or trail – that is taken during this dog sled race has been used for more than a hundred years.

To understand a little bit about the Iditarod dog sled race, we have to talk a little bit about the history of the United States in what is now the state of Alaska. In 1867, the United States purchased, or bought, Alaska from Russia, after which it became a U.S. territory. The territory was thought to have many natural resources, which turned out to be true. Among the things that people went to Alaska for was gold, the very valuable yellow-colored metal. After gold was discovered in Alaska – around 1900 – there followed what we call a “gold rush.”

A “gold rush” (rush) is when many people go to a certain location hoping to find gold themselves. We had a gold rush here in California in the nineteenth century. Well, there was a gold rush also to Alaska in the beginning of the twentieth century. Many of the gold fields were in the center of the territory and were very difficult to reach. So, the only way you could get there was by taking transportation such as a dog sled. There were no airplanes. There were no trains. There were no cars. So, the only way to get across the land was to use the dog sled as your method of transportation.

The most widely used trail, especially to go up to the northern part of the then territory of Alaska, was called the Iditarod Trail. The Iditarod Trail was first surveyed, or mapped out, in 1908 and quickly became one of the main routes of transportation to the northern areas in Alaska. Originally, it connected Seward, Alaska – named after the man who was responsible for the purchase of Alaska – to Nome, Alaska. Everything and everyone that traveled the trail had to do so on dog sled. There was no other way to get from one point to the other.

However, in the 1950s, the airplane finally reached Alaska and replaced a lot of the sleds, the dog sleds, that were used, especially along the Iditarod Trail. Many years later, you had the development of the snowmobile – a machine similar to a motorcycle that goes across snow – especially in the 1960s. However, just because the dog sleds were no longer as popular or as necessary as they were before the invention of the airplane, there were cases where the only way to get supplies from one part of Alaska to another was the dog sled.

In particular, in the year 1925, there was a terrible epidemic. An “epidemic” (epidemic) is when a certain disease spreads among many different people. In Alaska, there was what was called a diphtheria epidemic. “Diphtheria” is an illness that makes it difficult to breathe, and can be fatal – that is, it can kill you if it is not treated properly with medicine. Well, in this 1925 epidemic, there were no airplane pilots to fly medicine from southern Alaska to northern Alaska. So, once again, they had to use dog sleds in order to get the medicine up to those who were sick in the northern part of the state.

This was especially difficult because the weather was very bad. It took a long time for them to reach the northern part of the state, but they were successful, and many people remember this as being one of the finest moments of dog sledding – in helping people, in this case, with this illness. In 1967, in order to commemorate or remember the purchase of Alaska – which happened 100 years earlier, as we mentioned, in 1867 – it was decided there would be a small dog race. The race was only about 25 miles long. However, it became very popular, and in the early 1970s it was decided that they would have a dog sled race just like the old days, going along the Iditarod Trail.

Now, when you have a dog sled race, you of course need dogs, and you need a sled, and you need a person who takes care of the dogs and gets the dogs to move forward. We call this person a “musher” (musher). The job of the musher is to get the dogs to move forward and to take care of the dogs. When the race first started, it usually took about 20 days to move the approximately 1,100 miles of the race. However, over the years, they have improved the nutrition of the dogs and also started resting the dogs more frequently, and this has resulted in increasing the speed with which the mushers are able to move. Now it's possible to win the race in around 10 days. Still, a very long time to be out in the cold.

The mushers bring their own supplies on the sleds. They have to go through certain what are called “checkpoints,” or places along the race route or path where they have to check in, basically – say, “Yes, we've made it this far.” Originally, most of the mushers did not have anyone who was helping them pay for the cost of the race, but the race has become so popular that now there are companies who will sponsor the mushers. The mushers now have their own sponsorships or agreements with these big companies which pay the expenses of the musher, and of course, the musher then wears something that advertises that particular company.

So, if you're interested in a truly unique and interesting challenge, you can try your luck at the Iditarod dog sled race. Just remember to bring warm clothes.

Now let's answer some of the questions you have sent to us.

Our first question comes from Hosea (Hosea) in China. Hosea wants to know the difference between “amiable” and “amicable.” “Amiable” (amiable) means friendly or pleasant – “nice” might also be another way of defining this word. Someone who is “amiable” is usually considered a very nice person, a very friendly person. “Amiable” is almost always used to describe a person, what a person is like.

“Amicable” (amicable) also describes a situation where people are either friendly with each other or at least don't have any disagreements or bad feelings between them. “Amicable,” however, is used to describe not the people so much as the relationship, the situation, that exists. “Amicable” usually is used when you are saying that the relationship – especially a professional relationship, such as one at an office – is not necessarily friendly, but at least there's no difficulty. There are no problems between or among the group of people who are being described.

You will sometimes hear, for example, the term “amicable divorce.” “Divorce” is when a husband and a wife legally separate from each other. They are no longer legally husband and wife. An “amicable divorce,” then, is not necessarily a friendly situation, a friendly divorce, but rather one in which there were no serious problems, or at least there were no bad feelings between the husband and the wife.

In business, we could also talk about “amicable negotiations” – how we negotiate or come to an agreement with another person. That can also be “amicable.” It can be without difficulty, or without bad feelings. You could have an amicable meeting where you get together with a group of people. Once again, you may not like the other people, but at least you don't have any bad feelings, any negative feelings, toward them.

Our next question comes from Lucas (Lucas) in Brazil. Lucas wants to know the meaning and uses of the word “bias.” “Bias” (bias) is when you have an opinion in favor of or against a thing or a person, usually one that is considered to be unfair. “Bias” is often associated with another word: “prejudice” (prejudice). “To be prejudiced” or to be “biased” is to have an opinion about something that doesn't allow you to be fair to the other person. Perhaps you have decided, even before meeting the other person or before thinking about the situation, what your opinion will be. That would be a case of bias.

If, for example, I find out that my brother did something wrong, and someone asks me about what happened, I will probably be biased. I will have my own opinion because he's my brother and I want to defend him, so I'm not necessarily going to be the opposite of biased, which would be “objective” – someone who doesn't come in with an opinion, who tries to be fair without worrying about whether they like the person or they are influenced by something else that would make them have a certain opinion. The plural of “bias” is “biases” (biases), just so you know.

Now, Lucas was doing some reading of legal articles – articles related to the law – and there, “bias” is a very important concept. “Bias” on behalf of a judge or someone who's making a legal decision is considered to be a very bad thing, and rightly so. You don't want a judge who, for example, doesn't like people who have blonde hair or who doesn't like women or who doesn't like bald people. That would be the worst kind of bias, I think, personally. “Bias” then, is definitely something you try to avoid in a legal system among judges and jurors.

“Jurors” (jurors) are the people who decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. Usually, in the United States, there are 12 people – 12 jurors. In general conversation, bias is also considered a negative thing in most situations. Sometimes, people will even say, “Well, I think my son is best baseball player in the world, but of course I'm biased.” When a father says that about his son, he's saying, “Well, of course I love my son, and so I'm going to have a high opinion of him, and I won't necessarily be fair in judging other children in comparison to my son.”

From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.

Glossary

warrior – soldier; fighter

* Many cultures believe that being a warrior means that you are brave and have no fear in battle or war.

Apache – a tribe or cultural group of Native Americans who live in the Southwestern United States, primarily in Arizona

* The Apache were one of the most feared tribes because of their reputation for being good hunters and fighters.

to mourn – to celebrate the death of someone by remembering them and being sad that they are no longer alive

* Yuki and her sister mourned their father by inviting family and friends to gather and share memories of him.

raid – a surprise, military attack on a town or village

* The raid happened in the middle of the night when the people in town were sleeping so that they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves.

settler – one of the first people to move to a new land or area to build houses and towns, and to live there

* Many of the settlers who moved west in the United States were hoping to find gold that would make them rich.

reservation – an area of land set aside by the United States government where Native Americans can live and govern themselves

* Many reservations today are not only places where Native Americans live but also places where tourists can visit to learn about Native American culture.

paratrooper – a soldier who is trained to jump out of an airplane using a parachute (a large piece of material worn on the back to slow one’s fall to the ground)

* The paratroopers in World War II were considered some of the bravest soldiers because of the dangers they faced jumping out of the planes into battle.

dog sled – a special cart that is used to travel over snow and that is pulled by dogs

* Anora rode the dog sled over the snowy hills.

to survey – to create a map of an area that had never been measured and mapped before

* When they surveyed the land, the mapmakers not only wrote down the distances, but also the mountains and other natural features found there.

musher – a person who drives a dog sled (a special cart used for traveling over snow)

* The mushers who race in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race train with their dogs year round to be sure they are ready for the difficult race.

checkpoint – a stop along a race or route used for controlling people’s entrance or checking a traveler’s progress

* The race has many checkpoints where racers can rest and get food and water.

sponsorship – when a company gives an athlete money or free items to help them train for a race or game in return for the athlete using or wearing those products in public

* Nike sponsors many athletes by giving them free shoes and clothing. In return, the athletes wear Nike items when they compete to promote the brand.

amiable – being friendly and pleasant

* We are looking for salespeople who are amiable and who feel comfortable dealing with customers of all types.

amicable – with the relationship between people being friendly and without disagreement or bad feelings

* For years, Louisa and Christine couldn’t get along, but their relationship is amicable now.

bias – prejudice (an already made opinion) in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

* Guillermo thinks that his children are the smartest kids in the world, but he admits that he might be biased.

What Insiders Know

The American Dog Derby

Every year on the third weekend of February, the American Dog Derby is held in Ashton, Idaho. It is the oldest dog sled race in the United States.

The first race was held on March 4, 1917. It was run from Yellowstone, Montana up to Ashton Idaho, which is a distance of 55 miles (88.5 kilometers). Sixteen teams registered for the race, but only four teams completed in the 55-mile “journey” (trip).

The American Dog Derby became so popular that by 1921, an “estimated” (approximate) crowd of 10,000 arrived in Ashton to watch the races. There were special trains that brought in people from all over the country. It was a great success for people “catering to” (providing services for) “spectators” (people watching a sporting event) as hotels were immediately filled with guests, and bars and restaurants were very busy.

The popularity of the American Dog Derby “waned” (went down) when “snowmobiles” (a vehicle with a motor used for traveling over snow) become popular. The last American Dog Derby was held in 1961.

However, in 1993, the American Dog Derby was “revived” (brought back to live). Twenty-one racers participated in a two-day race, and since then, the number of people interested in participating has grown each year.

Today, there are five major races in the American Dog Derby, the longest being the “Tud Kent Race” which has an approximate distance of 92 miles (148 kilometers), requiring nine to 12 dogs to complete. Another race, called the “Ray Gordon Race,” “spans” (crosses the distance of) 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) and involves eight to 10 dogs. The shortest race is called the “Mutt Race” and covers 100 yards (91 meters) and requires only one dog.