Chief+Joseph+of+the+Nez+Perce

**By: Michelle Sciortino** Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé tribe was born in the Wallowa Valley (presently northeastern Oregon) on March 3rd, 1840. He was given the name Hinmuuttu-yalatlat or Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, which meant: Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain. He was usually called Joseph or Joseph the Younger, because his father had taken the Christian name Joseph when he was baptized at the ﻿ Lapwai mission by Henry Spalding in 1838. He had six brothers and sisters; his younger brother, Ollokot, later became a great warrior and helped Joseph in his band’s legendary retreat.
 * Chief Joseph **

Chief Joseph’s father, Joseph the Elder, was one of the first of the Nez Percé to convert to Christianity and it was important to him to keep peace with the white settlers. In 1855, the Nez Perce chiefs and Washington's territorial governor set up a Nez Percé reservation that stretched from Oregon into Idaho and was 7.7 million acres of land. All was well until 1863 there was a great gold rush into Nez Percé territory, and the federal government took back almost six million acres of their land. While originally welcoming to the newcomers, Joseph the Elder felt betrayed and denounced the United States. He refused to move his band from the Wallowa Valley or sign the treaty that would make the new reservation boundaries official. This lead to tension between the Nez Percé bands that signed the treaty and the ones that didn’t.

Just before his death in 1871, Joseph the Elder told 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 the bones of your father and your mother.”

After his fathers’ death, Joseph the Younger was elected to succeed him. Striving to keep his fathers last wishes he tried to keep peace by not allowing any violence against the whites, even though their band and been suffering many injustices. Chief Joseph resisted all efforts from the white settlers to force his band onto the tiny Idaho reservation, but in 1877 Army General Oliver Howard threatened a cavalry attack if Joseph’s Wallowa band did not relocate to the Idaho Reservation with the other Nez Percé. Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed.

Unfortunately about twenty Nez Percé warriors, upset at the loss of their homeland, raided a nearby settlement and killed several whites. At once, the U.S. army began to pursue Joseph's band. Still hoping to avoid further violence, Joseph and the other chiefs began leading the Nez Percé north toward Canada. His band’s retreat was known as one of the most brilliant military retreats in American history. Even the heartless General William Tecumseh Sherman was impressed with the 1,600 mile march, and praised them saying "the Indians throughout displayed a courage and skill that elicited universal praise... [they] fought with almost scientific skill, using advance and rear guards, skirmish lines, and field fortifications." In three months, the band of about 800 Indians, (of that less than 200 were warriors), fought 2,000 U.S. soldiers in pursuit at four major battles and many other attacks.

Finally, on October 5, 1877 after a distressing five-day battle during the winter in the cold Bear Paw Mountains of the Montana Territory, Chief Joseph formally surrendered to General Nelson Appleton Miles. Although 200 of his followers had died and they were lacking food, blankets and other supplies, they were just 40 miles from their destination in southern Canada.

By this time, Joseph was commonly called “the Red Napoleon” by the American Press. These were the words of his 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 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 had surrendered thinking that they would be allowed to return home, but General William Sherman forced Chief Joseph and his people first to eastern Kansas for eight months and then to a reservation in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) for ten years where many of them died of epidemic diseases like malaria or starvation. Finally they were returned to a reservation around Kooskia, Idaho.

In 1879, Chief Joseph visited Washington, D.C. to plead with President Rutherford B. Hayes. It was not until 1885 that Chief Joseph and his refugees were allowed to return to the Pacific Northwest, although half, including Chief Joseph, were first taken to the Colville Indian Reservation in northern Washington, far from both the rest of their people in Idaho and their native land in the Wallowa Valley.

Chief Joseph led his band for another 25 years with the 11 other tribes living on the reservation. They managed to make few enemies during that time, even with their white neighbors. Throughout the rest of his life Chief Joseph spoke out against the injustices his people were forced to face. Unsuccessful in his efforts to return to the homeland, Chief Joseph died on September 21st 1904 and was buried in the Colville Indian Cemetery in Nespelem, Washington, where many of his tribe's members still live today. He is said to have died of natural causes, but many people believe he died of a broken heart.

After his death, Chief Joseph was far from forgotten. He has been represented in a 1975 historical film called //I Will Fight No More Forever//, a famous poem by Robert Penn Warren called “Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé”, and in the children’s book, __ Thunder Rolling in the Mountains __, by Scott O'Dell and Elizabeth Hall. There are also structures and roads that have been named after him. One is the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway in Wyoming, and another is the Chief Joseph Dam, which is the second largest hydropower producer in the U.S. It is the only dam in the Northwest named after an American Indian and it is located on the Columbia River in Washington. The city of Joseph, Oregon is also named after him, as well as Joseph Canyon and Joseph Creek, on the Oregon-Washington border, and also Chief Joseph Pass in Montana. Chief Joseph’s photograph is also shown on the $200 Series I Savings Bonds as well. He will long be remembered as the man who stood up to the injustices of the Americans for the Nez Percé Indians.

The Nez Perce's legendary retreat ** Annotated Bibliography **

 1. "Chief Joseph Biography." //Biography.com//. 1994. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.biography.com/articles/Chief-Joseph-9358227>. This website gave a historical background of Chief Joseph and his accomplishments leading the Nez Perce tribe. It was a well organized and helpful biography. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 2. "Chief Joseph Biography." //Oregon// //Historical Society and Oregon History Museum//. 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ohs.org/the-oregon-history-project/biographies/Chief-Joseph.cfm>. This website had good information and a biography about Chief Joseph. It stated many facts and useful information for me to use. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 3. "Chief Joseph: Biography, Pictures and Information - Footnote.com." //Footnote.com - The Place for Original Historical Documents Online//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.footnote.com/page/92385595_chief_joseph/>. This website was interesting because it had maps and charts of Chief Joseph's life. It had pictures and mapped out important events. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 4. "Chief Joseph (Nez Perce Chief) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/306330/Chief-Joseph>. This source was an accurate and informative site. It was useful because it talked about how powerful the Nez Perce tribe was and the leadership of Chief Jospeh. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 5. "Chief Joseph." //Powersource 281-265-0944//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/joseph.html>. This website was informative and gave a brief summary of Chief Joseph's life. It also had many famous quotes said by him as well. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 6. "Chief Joseph." //Tripod | Error//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://lyonheartress.tripod.com/Chief1.html>. This website gave a brief biology of Chief Joseph. It was similiar to some of the other sites but also had pictures. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 7. "Chief Joseph." //United States// //History//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3813.html>. This talked alot about Chief Joseph's birth and childhood. It also explained all the different treaties as well. It also was informative about his death as well. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 8. Craig, Brookie. "Chief Joseph, Nez Perce." //The Original ~ Indians.org//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.indians.org/welker/joseph.htm>. This author tells of how much respect she has for Chief Joseph and her memories. There is also an article about him from Harper's Weekly and many of his famous quotes. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 9. Eastman, Charles A. "Chief Joseph - Leader of the Nez Perce and a True American." //Legends of America - A Travel Site for the Nostalgic and Historic Minded//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-chiefjoseph.html>. This website was extremely helpful because it was accurate and well organized and told the whole story of Chief Joseph. It gave information on the history of the tribe as well and also talked about the views of the American generals. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 10. "The Flight of the Nez Perce - Timeline." //Our Heritage Home Page//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ourheritage.net/index_page_stuff/following_trails/Chief_Joseph/Chief_Joseph_Timeline.html>. This website consisted of a very useful timeline I used that described the Nez Perce's flee to Canada. It showed important events that occured along the way while Chief Joseph was leading them. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 11. "Great Speeches Collection: Chief Joseph Surrenders." //The History Place//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/joseph.htm>. This source had Chief Josephs surrendering speech. It also had a useful picture. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 12. Hartle, Sandra. "Native American - Nez Perce - Chief Joseph." //Junto Society Home Page//. 2002. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.juntosociety.com/native/nezperce.htm>. This source was great for using pictures becasue it gave a description of the photographs. It also had numerous quotes from Chief Jospeh and background info about the Nez Perce tribe. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 13. Hoggatt, Stan. "1800s Nez Perce Photography." //Western Treasures//. 1997. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nezperce.com/npphoto1.html>. This source had many pictures of Chief Joseph and his family and land. It was good because it explained everything in the pictures and when they were taken and its background. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 14. Hoggatt, Stan. "Political Elements of Nez Perce History during Mid-1800s & War of 1877 by Stan Hoggatt." //Western Treasures//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nezperce.com/npedu10.html>. This website was very historical and gave information about the Nez Perce, Chief Joseph and his father, and the War in 1877. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 15. "HowStuffWorks "Chief Joseph"" //Howstuffworks "History"// Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/native-american-history/chief-joseph.htm>. This website was informative because it talked about their when Chief Joseph led his band 1700 miles and the hardships they faced. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 16. //Making of America//. 269th ed. Vol. 126. //The North American Review//. Cornell University. Web. <http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=nora;cc=nora;idno=nora0128-4;node=nora0128-4%3A7;frm=frameset;view=image;seq=421;page=root;size=50>. This was an interesting source becasue it was a book written by the very own Chief Joseph. It was called An Indians' Views of an Indians Affairs. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 17. McCloskey, Mary L. "Chief Joseph." //Welcome to Georgia State University//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www2.gsu.edu/~eslmlm/chiefjoseph.html>. This website gave some background info and a summary of the important things Chief Jospeh did. It also has a good map of their journey towards Canada. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 18. Minthorn, Phil E. "Chief Joseph, Nez Perce." //Welcome to Indigenous Peoples Literature//. 8 Feb. 1996. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.indigenouspeople.net/joseph.htm>. The article on this website was written by a decendent of Chief Joseph. It talks about Chief Joseph's death and how respected he was by his followers and still is today. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 19. "Nez Perce Indian Chiefs and Leaders." //Access Genealogy: A Free Genealogy Resource//. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/nezperce/nezpercechiefs.htm>. This website was useful in giving information about Chief Joseph's parents and about other Nez perce leaders. It also talked about how the tribe was often friendly and on good terms with the whites. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 20. Paul, Daniel N. "Chief Joseph." //American Indian History - Mi'kmaq First Nation: We Were Not the Savages//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.danielnpaul.com/ChiefJoseph-NezPerce.html>. This website had a ton of quotes said by Chief Jospeh. It also had a brief summary of his leadership within the Nez Perce. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;"> 21. PBS - THE WEST - Chief Joseph." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/chiefjoseph.htm>. This website was very helpful in giving a overall bibliography of Chief Joseph. It was organized and gave direct quotes from both Joseph and an American General. It also explained his fathershistory and how his father affected his leadership.  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">22. "PBS - THE WEST - Chief Joseph Speaks." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/jospeak.htm>. This was a helpful source  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> because it provided many speeches or famous statements by Chief Jospeh of the Nez Perce tribe.