"We are now held on Comanche and Kiowa lands, which are not suited to our needs...[o]ur people are decreasing in numbers here and will continue to decrease unless they are allowed to return to their native land...

"There is no climate or soil which, to my mind, is equal to that of Arizona. We could have plenty of good cultivating land, plenty of grass, plenty of timber and plenty of minerals in that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my fathers' land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there, and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people, placed in their native homes, would increase in numbers."
- Geronimo, Apache chief, August 1877

Use the quote above to answer the questions below. Please respond in complete sentences and number your answers.

1. According to the text, what problem does Geronimo say is happening to his people?

2. According to the text, what is Geronimo asking for?