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87-600: The Wallowa Valley was home to Chief Joseph 's band of the Nez Perce Tribe. Chief Joseph asked the first white settlers to leave when they arrived in 1871. The U.S. government expelled the tribe and seized their property and livestock in 1877, when non-Indian farmers and ranchers wanted to settle the fertile Wallowa valley. The tribe was barred from returning to their homeland by the government after repeated petitions. The tribal members were shipped in unheated box cars to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to be placed in

174-649: A booming young town, where he stayed in the Lincoln Hotel as guest to Edmond Meany , a history professor at the University of Washington . It was there that he also befriended Edward Curtis , the photographer, who took one of his most memorable and well-known photographs. Joseph also visited President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington, D.C. the same year. Everywhere he went, it was to make a plea for what remained of his people to be returned to their home in

261-569: A final five-day battle fought alongside Snake Creek at the base of Montana's Bears Paw Mountains only 40 miles (64 km) from the Canada–US border. A large majority of the surviving Nez Perce represented by Chief Joseph of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce, surrendered to Brigadier Generals Oliver Otis Howard and Nelson A. Miles . White Bird , of the Lamátta band of Nez Perce, managed to elude

348-517: A kind o' comforter o' red yarn, I wore rund my neck; an' at last I got Jo to take that, jest as a kind o' momento. Multiple man-made items and geographic features have been named for Chief Joseph, such as: Bryan Adam's song "Native Son", from his 1987 album Into the Fire is based on Chief Joseph's story. In 2014, Micky and the Motorcars released the album Hearts from Above , which included

435-481: A nominal sum, with the caveat that they be able to hunt, fish. and pasture their horses etc. on unoccupied areas of their former land – the same rights to use public lands as Anglo-American citizens of the territories. The newly established Nez Perce Indian reservation was 7,500,000 acres (30,000 km ) in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington territories. Under the terms of the treaty, no white settlers were allowed on

522-691: A prisoner-of-war camp never to see their home again. The river begins at the confluence of its east and west forks, which rise in southern Wallowa County , in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest . It flows generally northwest through the Wallowa Valley, parallel to the McCully Basin which is East of the ridge formed from East Peak, Hidden Peak and Aneroid Mountain . At this point,

609-638: A remarkable fighting retreat. They crossed from Idaho over Lolo Pass into Montana Territory , traveling southeast, dipping into Yellowstone National Park and then back north into Montana, roughly 1,170 miles (1,880 km). They attempted to seek refuge with the Crow Nation , but, rejected by the Crow, ultimately decided to try to reach safety in Canada. A small number of Nez Perce fighters, probably fewer than 200, defeated or held off larger forces of

696-692: A safe return home for his people, General Sherman overruled this decision and forced Joseph and 400 followers to be taken on unheated rail cars to Fort Leavenworth , in eastern Kansas, where they were held in a prisoner of war campsite for eight months. Toward the end of the following summer, the surviving Nez Perce were taken by rail to a reservation in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma ); they lived there for seven years. Many of them died of epidemic diseases while there. In 1879, Chief Joseph went to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Rutherford B. Hayes and plead his people's case. Although Joseph

783-714: A small allied band of the Palouse tribe , led by Chief Joseph and others, as they attempted to escape from Idaho became known as the Nez Perce War . Initially they had hoped to take refuge with the Crow Nation in the Montana Territory , but when the Crow refused to grant them aid, the Nez Perce went north in an attempt to obtain asylum with the Lakota band led by Sitting Bull , who had fled to Canada following

870-568: A surprise attack upon the Nez Perce camp on the morning of September 30. After a three-day standoff, Howard arrived with his command, on October 3 and the stalemate was broken. Chief Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877, and declared in his famous surrender speech that he would "fight no more forever." In total, the Nez Perce engaged 2,000 American soldiers of different military units, as well as their Indian auxiliaries. They fought "eighteen engagements, including four major battles and at least four fiercely contested skirmishes." Many people praised

957-465: Is recorded that the elder Joseph requested that Young Joseph protect their 7.7-million-acre homeland, and guard his father's burial place. In 1863, however, an influx of new settlers, attracted by a gold rush , led the government to call a second council. Government commissioners asked the Nez Perce to accept a new, much smaller reservation of 760,000 acres (3,100 km ) situated around the village of Lapwai in western Idaho Territory , and excluding

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1044-575: The Appaloosa in battle and in flight. The lyrics identify Chief Joseph 's Nez Perce name, which translates as "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain," and quotes extensively from his "I will fight no more forever" speech. Texas country band Micky & the Motorcars released the song "From Where the Sun Now Stands" on their 2014 album Hearts from Above. The song chronicles the flight of

1131-622: The Crow tribe . After the Crows' refusal of aid, they sought sanctuary with the Lakota led by Sitting Bull , who had fled to Canada in May 1877 to avoid capture following the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn . The Nez Perce were pursued by elements of the U.S. Army with whom they fought a series of battles and skirmishes on a fighting retreat of 1,170 miles (1,880 km). The war ended after

1218-650: The Great Sioux War in 1876. In Hear Me, My Chiefs!: Nez Perce Legend and History , Lucullus V. McWhorter argues that the Nez Perce were a peaceful people that were forced into war by the United States when their land was stolen from them. McWhorter interviewed and befriended Nez Perce warriors such as Yellow Wolf , who stated, "Our hearts have always been in the valley of the Wallowa". Robert Forczyk states in his book Nez Perce 1877: The Last Fight that

1305-412: The Lakota people , who had sought refuge in Canada under the leadership of Sitting Bull . At least 800 men, women, and children led by Joseph and other Nez Perce chiefs were pursued by the U.S. Army under General Oliver O. Howard in a 1,170-mile (1,900 km) fighting retreat known as the Nez Perce War . The skill with which the Nez Perce fought and the manner in which they conducted themselves in

1392-595: The Pacific Northwest and move to an Indian reservation in Idaho Territory . This forced removal was in violation of the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla , which granted the tribe 7.5 million acres of their ancestral lands and the right to hunt and fish on lands ceded to the U.S. government. After the first armed engagements in June, the Nez Perce embarked on an arduous trek north initially to seek help with

1479-578: The United States federal government from their ancestral lands in the Wallowa Valley of northeastern Oregon onto a significantly reduced reservation in the Idaho Territory . A series of violent encounters with white settlers in the spring of 1877 culminated in those Nez Perce who resisted removal, including Joseph's band and an allied band of the Palouse tribe, fleeing the United States in an attempt to reach political asylum alongside

1566-429: The Wallowa valley in northeastern Oregon. Disputes there with white farmers and ranchers led to the murders of several Nez Perce, and the murderers were never prosecuted. Tensions between Nez Perce and white settlers rose in 1876 and 1877. General Oliver Otis Howard called a council in May 1877 and ordered the non-treaty bands to move to the reservation, setting an impossible deadline of 30 days. Howard humiliated

1653-532: The Wallowa Valley of northeastern Oregon . He was known as Young Joseph during his youth because his father, tuekakas , was baptized with the same Christian name and later become known as "Old Joseph" or "Joseph the Elder". While initially hospitable to the region's white settlers, Joseph the Elder grew wary when they demanded more Indian lands. Tensions grew as the settlers appropriated traditional Indian lands for farming and livestock. Isaac Stevens , governor of

1740-540: The Washington Territory , and Joel Palmer , superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon Territory , signed the Nez Perce Treaty in 1855, which granted the Nez Perce the right to remain in a large portion of their own lands in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon territories, in exchange for relinquishing almost 5.5 million acres of their approximately 13 million acre homeland to the U.S. government for

1827-511: The Washington Territory , organized a council to designate separate areas for natives and settlers in 1855. Joseph the Elder and the other Nez Perce chiefs signed the Treaty of Walla Walla , with the United States establishing a Nez Perce reservation encompassing 7,700,000 acres (31,000 km ) in present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The 1855 reservation maintained much of the traditional Nez Perce lands, including Joseph's Wallowa Valley. It

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1914-680: The Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez ;Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the Palouse tribe led by Red Echo ( Hahtalekin ) and Bald Head ( Husishusis Kute ), against the United States Army . Fought between June and October, the conflict stemmed from the refusal of several bands of the Nez Perce, dubbed "non-treaty Indians," to give up their ancestral lands in

2001-466: The Army after the battle and escape with an undetermined number of his band to Sitting Bull's camp in Canada. The 418 Nez Perce who surrendered, including women and children, were taken prisoner and sent by train to Fort Leavenworth , Kansas. Although Chief Joseph is the most well known of the Nez Perce leaders, he was not the sole overall leader. The Nez Perce were led by a coalition of several leaders from

2088-800: The Canadian border where the Nez Perce were camped on Snake Creek near the Bears Paw Mountains , close to present-day Chinook in Blaine County, Montana . A U.S. Army detachment commanded by General Nelson A. Miles and accompanied by Cheyenne scouts intercepted the Nez Perce on September 30 at the Battle of Bear Paw . After his initial attacks were repelled, Miles violated a truce and captured Chief Joseph; however, he would later be forced to exchange Chief Joseph for one of his captured officers. General Howard arrived on October 3, leading

2175-530: The Canadian border. Unable to fight any longer, Chief Joseph surrendered to the Army with the understanding that he and his people would be allowed to return to the reservation in western Idaho . He was instead transported between various forts and reservations on the southern Great Plains before being moved to the Colville Indian Reservation in the state of Washington , where he died in 1904. Chief Joseph's life remains an iconic event in

2262-555: The Colville Reservation bear his name in tribute. Why I got lost once, an' I came right on Chief Joseph's camp before I knowed it ... 't was night, 'n' I was kind o' creepin' along cautious, an' the first thing I knew there was an Injun had me on each side, an' they jest marched me up to Jo's tent, to know what they should do with me ... Well; 'n' they gave me all I could eat, 'n' a guide to show me my way, next day, 'n' I could n't make Jo nor any of 'em take one cent. I had

2349-539: The First Infantry; the rest traveled on horseback escorted by troops of the Seventh Cavalry en route to their winter quarters. A majority of Bismarck's citizens turned out to welcome the Nez Perce prisoners, providing a lavish buffet for them and their troop escort. On November 23, the Nez Perce prisoners had their lodges and equipment loaded into freight cars and themselves into eleven rail coaches for

2436-539: The Nez Perce and the strategist behind the Nez Perce's skilled fighting retreat. The American press referred to him as "the Red Napoleon " for the military prowess attributed to him, but the Nez Perce bands involved in the war did not consider him a war chief. Joseph's younger brother, Ollokot; Poker Joe , and Looking Glass of the Alpowai band were among those who formulated the fighting strategy and tactics and led

2523-554: The Nez Perce by jailing their old leader, Toohoolhoolzote , who spoke against moving to the reservation. The other Nez Perce leaders, including Chief Joseph, considered military resistance to be futile; they agreed to the move and reported as ordered to Fort Lapwai , Idaho Territory. By June 14, 1877, about 600 Nez Perce from Joseph's and White Bird's bands had gathered on the Camas Prairie , six miles (10 km) west of present-day Grangeville . On June 13, shortly before

2610-443: The Nez Perce campaign. The Nez Perce perspective was represented by Yellow Wolf: His Own Story , published in 1944 by Lucullus Virgil McWhorter , who had interviewed Yellow Wolf , a Nez Perce warrior. This book is very critical of the U.S. military's role in the war, and especially of General Howard. McWhorter also wrote Hear Me, My Chiefs! , published after his death. It was based on documentary sources and had material supporting

2697-409: The Nez Perce for their exemplary conduct and skilled fighting ability. The Montana newspaper New North-West stated: "Their warfare since they entered Montana has been almost universally marked so far by the highest characteristics recognized by civilized nations. " By the time Chief Joseph formally surrendered on October 5, 1877, 2:20 pm, European Americans described him as the principal chief of

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2784-584: The Nez Perce stopped to make camp and rest on the prairie adjacent to Snake Creek in the foothills of the north slope of the Bear's Paw Mountains in Montana Territory, only 40 miles (64 km) from the Canada–United States border . They believed that they had shaken off Howard and their pursuers, but they were unaware that the recently promoted Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles in command of

2871-716: The Pacific Northwest. Joseph, however, was not permitted to return to the Nez Perce reservation but instead settled at the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington . He died there in 1904. General Oliver Otis Howard was the commanding officer of U.S. troops pursuing the Nez Perce during the Nez Perce War of 1877. In 1881, he published an account of Joseph and the war, Nez Perce Joseph: An Account of His Ancestors, His Lands, His Confederates, His Enemies, His Murders, His War, His Pursuit and Capture , depicting

2958-631: The President and Congress, and his account was published in the North American Review . While he was greeted with acclaim, the U.S. government did not grant his petition due to fierce opposition in Idaho. Instead, Joseph and the Nez Perce were sent to Oklahoma and eventually located on a small reservation near Tonkawa, Oklahoma . Conditions in "the hot country" were hardly better than they had been at Leavenworth. In 1885, Joseph and 268 surviving Nez Perce were finally allowed to return to

3045-644: The U.S. Army in several battles. The most notable was the two-day Battle of the Big Hole in southwestern Montana territory, a battle with heavy casualties on both sides, including many women and children on the Nez Perce side. Until the Big Hole the Nez Perce had the naive view that they could end the war with the U.S. on terms favorable, or at least acceptable, to themselves. Afterwards, the war "increased in ferocity and tempo. From then on all white men were bound to be their enemies and yet their own fighting power had been severely reduced." The war came to an end when

3132-596: The Wallowa Valley and the rest of their people in Idaho. Joseph continued to lead his Wallowa band on the Colville Reservation, at times coming into conflict with the leaders of the 11 other unrelated tribes also living on the reservation. Chief Moses of the Sinkiuse-Columbia , in particular, resented having to cede a portion of his people's lands to Joseph's people, who had "made war on the Great Father". In his last years, Joseph spoke eloquently against

3219-473: The Wallowa Valley, but it never happened. An indomitable voice of conscience for the West, still in exile from his homeland, Chief Joseph died on September 21, 1904, according to his doctor, "of a broken heart". Meany and Curtis helped Joseph's family bury their chief near the village of Nespelem, Washington , where many of his tribe's members still live. The Chief Joseph band of Nez Perce who still live on

3306-517: The Wallowa Valley. In exchange, they were promised financial rewards, schools, and a hospital for the reservation. Chief Lawyer and one of his allied chiefs signed the treaty on behalf of the Nez Perce Nation, but Joseph the Elder and several other chiefs were opposed to selling their lands and did not sign. Their refusal to sign caused a rift between the "non-treaty" and "treaty" bands of Nez Perce. The "treaty" Nez Perce moved within

3393-602: The Wallowa, and vast regions besides". For over three months, the Nez Perce deftly outmaneuvered and battled their pursuers, traveling more than 1,170 miles (1,880 km) across present-day Oregon , Washington , Idaho , Wyoming , and Montana . One of those battles was led by Captain Perry and two cavalry companies of the U.S. Army led by Captain Trimble and Lieutenant Theller, who engaged Chief Joseph and his people at White Bird Canyon on June 17, 1877. The Nez Perce repelled

3480-994: The West Fork of the Wallowa River drainage basin is connected to the North Fork of the Imnaha River by the Polaris Pass drainage divide . It then flows past the communities of Joseph , Enterprise , and Wallowa . Further upstream it receives the Minam River from the left at the hamlet of Minam . Continuing north another 10 miles (16 km), it joins the Grande Ronde along the Wallowa– Union county line about 10 miles (16 km) north-northeast of Elgin and about 81 miles (130 km) from

3567-529: The Younger , was a leader of the wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce , a Native American tribe of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States, in the latter half of the 19th century. He succeeded his father Tuekakas (Chief Joseph the Elder) in the early 1870s. Chief Joseph led his band of Nez Perce during the most tumultuous period in their history, when they were forcibly removed by

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3654-494: The attack, killing 34 soldiers, while suffering only three Nez Perce wounded. The Nez Perce continued to repel the Army's advances, eventually reaching the Clearwater River , where they united with another Nez Perce chief, Looking Glass, and his group, bringing the size of their party to 740, though only 200 of these were warriors. The final battle of the Nez Perce War occurred approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of

3741-452: The bones of your father and your mother." Joseph commented: "I clasped my father's hand and promised to do as he asked. A man who would not defend his father's grave is worse than a wild beast." The non-treaty Nez Perce suffered many injustices at the hands of settlers and prospectors , but out of fear of reprisal from the militarily superior Americans, Joseph never allowed any violence against them, instead making many concessions to them in

3828-547: The commanding general of the Army, William Tecumseh Sherman , overruled them and directed that the Nez Perce were sent to Kansas. "I believed General Miles, or I never would have surrendered," Chief Joseph said afterward. Miles marched his captives 265 miles (426 km) to the Tongue River Cantonment in southeast Montana Territory, where they arrived on October 23, 1877, and were held until Oct. 31. The able-bodied warriors were marched out to Fort Buford , at

3915-640: The confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. On November 1, women, children, the ill and the wounded set out for Fort Buford in fourteen Mackinaw boats . Between November 8 and 10, the Nez Perce left Fort Buford for Custer's post command at the time of his death; Fort Abraham Lincoln across the Missouri River from Bismarck in the Dakota Territory . About two hundred left in the mackinaws on November 9 guarded by two companies of

4002-465: The culture. The drama was notable for attempting to present a balanced view of the events: the leadership pressures on Joseph were juxtaposed with the Army's having to carry out an unpopular task while an action-hungry press establishment looked on. Folk singer Fred Small 's 1983 song " The Heart of the Appaloosa " describes the events of the Nez Perce War, highlighting the Nez Perce's skillful use of

4089-512: The deadline for removing onto the reservation, White Bird's band held a tel-lik-leen ceremony at the Tolo Lake camp in which the warriors paraded on horseback in a circular movement around the village while individually boasting of their battle prowess and war deeds. According to Nez Perce accounts, an aged warrior named Hahkauts Ilpilp (Red Grizzly Bear) challenged the presence in the ceremony of several young participants whose relatives' deaths at

4176-696: The different bands who comprised the "non-treaty" Nez Perce, including the Wallowa Ollokot , White Bird of the Lamátta band, Toohoolhoolzote of the Pikunin band, and Looking Glass of the Alpowai band. Brigadier General Howard was head of the U.S. Army's Department of the Columbia , which was tasked with forcing the Nez Perce onto the reservation and whose jurisdiction was extended by General William Tecumseh Sherman to allow Howard's pursuit. It

4263-467: The face of incredible adversity earned them widespread admiration from their military opponents and the American public, and coverage of the war in U.S. newspapers led to popular recognition of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce. In October 1877, after months of fugitive resistance, most of the surviving remnants of Joseph's band were cornered in northern Montana Territory , just 40 miles (64 km) from

4350-480: The failure of the U.S. government to uphold the treaties , and at settlers who squatted on their land and plowed up their camas prairies, which they depended on for subsistence. In 1863, a group of Nez Perce were coerced into signing away 90% of their reservation to the U.S., leaving only 750,000 acres (3,000 km ) in Idaho Territory. Under the terms of the treaty, all Nez Perce were to move onto

4437-480: The federal government to ensure his people could stay on their land in the Wallowa Valley. But in 1877, the government reversed its policy, and Army General Oliver O. Howard threatened to attack if the Wallowa band did not relocate to the Idaho reservation with the other Nez Perce. Joseph reluctantly agreed. Before the outbreak of hostilities, General Howard held a council at Fort Lapwai to try to convince Joseph and his people to relocate. Joseph finished his address to

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4524-464: The following evening, June 14, 1877, Swan Necklace returned to the lake to announce that the trio had killed four white men and wounded another man. Inspired by the war furor, approximately sixteen more young men rode off to join Shore Crossing in raiding the settlements. Joseph and his brother Ollokot were away from the camp during the raids on June 14 and 15. When they arrived at the camp

4611-531: The general, which focused on human equality, by expressing his "[disbelief that] the Great Spirit Chief gave one kind of men the right to tell another kind of men what they must do." Howard reacted angrily, interpreting the statement as a challenge to his authority. When Toohoolhoolzote protested, he was jailed for five days. The day following the council, Joseph, White Bird , and Looking Glass all accompanied Howard to examine different areas within

4698-512: The hands of whites had gone unavenged. One named Wahlitits (Shore Crossing) was the son of Eagle Robe, who had been shot to death by Lawrence Ott three years earlier. Thus humiliated and apparently fortified with liquor, Shore Crossing and two of his cousins, Sarpsisilpilp (Red Moccasin Top) and Wetyemtmas Wahyakt (Swan Necklace), set out for the Salmon River settlements on a mission of revenge. On

4785-408: The hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever. Joseph's speech was translated by the interpreter Arthur Chapman and

4872-402: The hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, to see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. The popular legend deflated, however, when the original pencil draft of

4959-409: The historical claims of each side. The fifth volume of William T. Vollmann 's Seven Dreams cycle, The Dying Grass , offers a detailed account of the conflict. The 1975 David Wolper historical teledrama I Will Fight No More Forever , starring Ned Romero as Joseph and James Whitmore as General Howard, was well received at a time when Native American issues were receiving wider exposure in

5046-412: The history of the American Indian Wars . For his passionate, principled resistance to his tribe's forced removal, Joseph became renowned as both a humanitarian and a peacemaker. Chief Joseph was born Hinmuuttu-yalatlat (alternatively Hinmaton-Yalatkit or hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt [ Nez Perce : "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain"], or hinmatóoyalahtq'it ["Thunder traveling to higher areas"]) in

5133-468: The hope of securing peace. A handwritten document mentioned in the Oral History of the Grande Ronde recounts an 1872 experience by Oregon pioneer Henry Young and two friends in search of acreage at Prairie Creek, east of Wallowa Lake. Young's party was surrounded by 40–50 Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph. The Chief told Young that white men were not welcome near Prairie Creek, and Young's party was forced to leave without violence. In 1873, Joseph negotiated with

5220-474: The injustice of United States policy toward his people and held out the hope that America's promise of freedom and equality might one day be fulfilled for Native Americans as well. In 1897, he visited Washington, D.C. again to plead his case. He rode with Buffalo Bill in a parade honoring former President Ulysses Grant in New York City, but he was a topic of conversation for his traditional headdress more than his mission. In 1903, Chief Joseph visited Seattle ,

5307-633: The larger river's confluence with the Snake River . The Wallowa River supports populations of steelhead , spring Chinook salmon , and mountain whitefish among other species. Sockeye salmon were extirpated from the Wallowa River when a small dam was constructed at the outlet of Wallowa Lake in the headwaters of the river. The dam was constructed to raise the level of the lake to store water for irrigation. Chief Joseph Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt (or hinmatóowyalahtq̓it in Americanist orthography; March 3, 1840 – September 21, 1904), popularly known as Chief Joseph , Young Joseph , or Joseph

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5394-568: The latter counseled his son: "My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father's body. Never sell

5481-536: The long journey to the reservation, meeting first with other bands at Rocky Canyon. At this council, too, many leaders urged war, while Joseph continued to argue in favor of peace. While the council was underway, a young man whose father had been killed rode up and announced that he and several other young men had retaliated by killing four white settlers. Still hoping to avoid further bloodshed, Joseph and other non-treaty Nez Perce leaders began moving people away from Idaho. The U.S. Army's pursuit of about 750 Nez Perce and

5568-409: The new and much smaller reservation east of Lewiston. A large number of Nez Perce, however, did not accept the validity of the treaty, refused to move to the reservation, and remained on their traditional lands. The Nez Perce who approved the treaty were mostly Christian; the opponents mostly followed the traditional religion. The "non-treaty" Nez Perce included the band of Chief Joseph, who lived in

5655-416: The new reservation's boundaries, while the "non-treaty" Nez Perce remained on their ancestral lands. Joseph the Elder demarcated Wallowa land with a series of poles, proclaiming, "Inside this boundary all our people were born. It circles the graves of our fathers, and we will never give up these graves to any man." Joseph the Younger succeeded his father as leader of the Wallowa band in 1871. Before his death,

5742-406: The newly created District of the Yellowstone had been dispatched from the Tongue River Cantonment to find and intercept them. Miles led a combined force made up of units of the Fifth Infantry, and Second Cavalry and the Seventh Cavalry . Accompanying the troops were Lakota and Cheyenne Indian Scouts , many of whom had fought against the Army only a year prior during the Sioux War . They made

5829-421: The next day, most of the Nez Perce had departed for a campsite on White Bird Creek to await the response of General Howard. Joseph considered an appeal for peace to the Whites, but realized it would be useless after the raids. Meanwhile, Howard mobilized his military force and sent out 130 men, including 13 friendly Nez Perce scouts, under the command of Captain David Perry to punish the Nez Perce and force them onto

5916-418: The opposing cavalry, and was impressed with the skill with which the Nez Perce fought, using advance and rear guards, skirmish lines, and field fortifications. Following a devastating five-day siege during freezing weather, with no food or blankets and the major war leaders dead, Chief Joseph formally surrendered to General Miles on the afternoon of October 5, 1877. The battle is remembered in popular history by

6003-448: The praise of General William Tecumseh Sherman and became known in the press as "The Red Napoleon ". However, as Francis Haines argues in Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Warrior , the battlefield successes of the Nez Perce during the war were due to the individual successes of the Nez Perce men and not that of the fabled military genius of Chief Joseph. Haines supports his argument by citing L. V. McWhorter, who concluded "that Chief Joseph

6090-506: The protests to Sherman by the commander of the Fort, the Nez Perce were forced to live in a swampy bottomland. One author described the effects on the Nez Perce refugees: "the 400 miserable, helpless, emaciated specimens of humanity, subjected for months to the malarial atmosphere of the river bottom." Chief Joseph went to Washington in January 1879 to plead that his people be allowed to return to Idaho or, at least, be given land in Indian Territory , what would become Oklahoma . He met with

6177-468: The report was revealed to show the handwriting of the later poet and lawyer Lieutenant Charles Erskine Scott Wood , who claimed to have taken down the great chief's words on the spot. In the margin it read, "Here insert Joseph's reply to the demand for surrender". Although Joseph was not technically a war chief and probably did not command the retreat, many of the chiefs who did had died. His speech brought attention, and therefore credit, his way. He earned

6264-414: The reservation without the permission of the Nez Perce. However, in 1860 gold was discovered near present-day Pierce, Idaho , and 5,000 gold-seekers rushed onto the reservation, illegally founding the downstream city of Lewiston as a supply depot on Nez Perce land. Ranchers and farmers followed the miners, and the U.S. government failed to keep settlers out of Indian lands. The Nez Perce were incensed at

6351-492: The reservation. Howard anticipated that his soldiers "will make short work of it." The Nez Perce defeated Perry at the Battle of White Bird Canyon and began their long flight eastward to escape from the U.S. soldiers. Joseph and White Bird were joined by Looking Glass's band and, after several battles and skirmishes in Idaho during the next month, approximately 250 Nez Perce warriors, and 500 women and children, along with more than 2000 head of horses and other livestock, began

6438-416: The reservation. Howard offered them a plot of land that was inhabited by whites and Native Americans, promising to clear out the current residents. Joseph and his chieftains refused, adhering to their tribal tradition of not taking what did not belong to them. Unable to find any suitable uninhabited land on the reservation, Howard informed Joseph that his people had 30 days to collect their livestock and move to

6525-439: The reservation. Joseph pleaded for more time, but Howard told him he would consider their presence in the Wallowa Valley beyond the 30-day mark an act of war. Returning home, Joseph called a council among his people. At the council, he spoke on behalf of peace, preferring to abandon his father's grave over war. Toohoolhoolzote, insulted by his incarceration, advocated war. In June 1877, the Wallowa band began making preparations for

6612-482: The song "From Where the Sun Now Stands". The song contains several references to his famous speech. Swedish country pop group Rednex sampled a part of his famous speech in their 2000 single The Spirit of the Hawk , which became a worldwide hit. In his 2000 release Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed...And Some Blues , Dan Fogelberg mentioned Chief Joseph in the song "Don't Let That Sun Go Down," which

6699-409: The tipping point of the war was that "Joseph responded that his clan's traditions would not allow him to cede the Wallowa Valley". The band led by Chief Joseph never signed the treaty moving them to the Idaho reservation. General Howard, who was dispatched to deal with Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, tended to believe the Nez Perce were right about the treaty: "the new treaty finally agreed upon excluded

6786-566: The trip via train to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. One of the most extraordinary Indian Wars of which there is any record. the Indians displayed a courage and skill that elicited universal praise. They abstained from scalping: let captive women go free; did not commit indiscriminate murder of peaceful families, which as usual, and fought with almost scientific skill, using advance and rear guards , skirmish lines and field fortifications . Over

6873-467: The warriors in battle, while Joseph was responsible for guarding the camp. Chief Joseph became immortalized by his famous speech: I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzoote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, "Yes" or "No." He who led the young men [Ollokot] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to

6960-511: The whites were doing, but these same military terms should be avoided when referring to Indian actions; the United States use of military terms such as 'retreat' and 'surrender' has created a distorted perception of the Nez Perce War, to understand this may lend clarity to the political and military victories of the Nez Perce." By the time Joseph had surrendered, 150 of his followers had been killed or wounded. Their plight, however, did not end. Although Joseph had negotiated with Miles and Howard for

7047-462: The words attributed to Joseph at the formal surrender: Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to

7134-503: Was at the final surrender of the Nez Perce when Chief Joseph gave his famous "I Will Fight No More Forever" speech, which was translated by the interpreter Arthur Chapman. An 1877 New York Times editorial discussing the conflict stated, "On our part, the war was in its origin and motive nothing short of a gigantic blunder and a crime". We took away their country and their means of support, broke up their mode of living, their habits of life, introduced disease and decay among them and it

7221-733: Was for this and against this they made war. Could anyone expect less? In 1855, at the Walla Walla Council , the Nez Perce were coerced by the federal government into giving up their ancestral lands and moving to the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon Territory with the Walla Walla , Cayuse , and Umatilla tribes. The tribes involved were so bitterly opposed to the terms of the plan that Isaac I. Stevens, governor and superintendent of Indian affairs for

7308-554: Was not a military man at all, that on the battlefield he was without either skill or experience". Furthermore, Merle Wells argues in The Nez Perce and Their War that the interpretation of the Nez Perce War of 1877 in military terms as used in the United States Army's account distorts the actions of the Nez Perce. Wells supports his argument: "The use of military concepts and terms is appropriate when explaining what

7395-583: Was recorded live in 1994 in Knoxville, TN. In 1983, Fred Small released "The Heart of the Appaloosa". In 1973, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum . In June 2012, Chief Joseph's 1870s war shirt was sold to a private collection for the sum of $ 877,500. Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in

7482-495: Was respected as a spokesman, opposition in Idaho prevented the U.S. government from granting his petition to return to the Pacific Northwest . Finally, in 1885, Chief Joseph and his followers were granted permission to return to the Pacific Northwest to settle on the reservation around Kooskia, Idaho . Instead, Joseph and others were taken to the Colville Indian Reservation in Nespelem, Washington , far from both their homeland in

7569-504: Was transcribed by Howard's aide-de-camp Lieutenant C. E. S. Wood . Among other vocations, Wood was a writer and a poet. His poem, "The Poet in the Desert" (1915), was a literary success, and some critics have suggested that he may have taken poetic license and embellished Joseph's speech. During the surrender negotiations, Howard and Miles had promised Joseph that the Nez Perce would be allowed to return to their reservation in Idaho. But,

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