Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph was born Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, or Thunder
Rolling Down the Mountain in 1840 in Northeastern Oregon, then known as Wallowa
Valley. He was known as Joseph after his father, Joseph the Elder, was took the
name when he was baptized in 1838. His father was one of the first Nez Perce to
convert to Christianity, and was a supporter of the tribe’s longstanding peace
with whites. This all changed in 1863 when the federal government took back almost
six million acres of this land. Joseph the Elder felt betrayed and blamed the
United States. He refused to move his band from the Wallowa Valley to a
reservation in Idaho.
After his father
passed away, Joseph the Younger was elected Chief. The tribe was in the middle
of an unstable situation as white settlers continued to inhabit the Wallowa
Valley. In 1873, the federal government ordered the white settlers to be
removed from the area, and to allow Chief Joseph’s people to remain. In 1877
the federal government rescinded the order, and General Oliver Otis Howard
threatened to attack if Chief Joseph’s people didn’t leave Wallowa Valley to
the reservation in Idaho. They reluctantly agreed, but they never got to their
destination. Some of the Nez Perce attacked and killed several whites,
provoking the United States army to target Chief Joseph and his people.
What happened next
is know as one of the “most brilliant military retreats in
American history”. Chief Joseph’s people, who were normally peaceful, chose to
fight the US soldiers. In over three months, they fought four major battles,
even though they were wildly outnumbered. They fought with a skill unseen by US
generals. In 1877, they surrendered, with Chief Joseph giving a speech:
“I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking
Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the
young men who say, "Yes" or "No." He who led the young men
[Olikut] 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.”
Even though they were told they could return home, Chief
Joseph’s people were taken instead to a reservation in what is now known as
Oklahoma where many died from diseases. Joseph and other refugees were allowed
to return to the Northwest in 1885, but instead of returning together to
Wallowa Valley, Joseph and his people were separated and brought to live on
different reservations.
Chief Joseph died in exile in 1904 hopeful that the
United States promise of freedom and equality might become true for Native
Americans.
Chief Joseph and his tribes history is one of the many great, recognized atrocities of the US government. The Nez Perce had been friendly with the US since Lewis & Clark expedition, but then the government deemed their land as valuable and took it - it showcases how easily nearly a century of good relations can be ended when American government takes what it wants. I have no doubt his broken heart was a combination of betrayal and letting down his people as he was their chief. Nn
ReplyDeletep.s. remember to respond to 2 peers.
In my post I mentioned how the New Perce created and alliance with the Lewis and Clark Expedition which resulted in the Blackfeet Indians having a bloody contest with the members of the expedition. It is a sad reality that the United States muscled it's way into the western territory and used the Native people to assist in westward expansion.
DeleteI will, I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but right now I only see my post and one other students. And your original post of course. So I have only responded to one other student.
ReplyDeleteThat is disturbing to think of children freezing in the cold. The little children who were attached with cradleboards were safe and warm with their mothers. The child was secured to the mother and wrapped in cloth, blankets, fur, and leather or suede. Some of them carried their children in the same jacket. The mother stayed warm and so did the child. The mother's warmth would keep the child from freezing. The children did not journey away from their tribes and the tribes did not journey from the children.
Deletehttp://www.native-languages.org/cradleboard.htm
Hi Colleen. Your essay on Chief Joseph inspires me to read more about him! The photos of these amazing leaders are profound to me as well. I know a photo is only a static snapshot of time, and yet there is much emotion in the photo you chose. Determination, sadness, pride are among just some of the emotions I can see. May I ask - why were you moved to write about him? I also find that a fascinating aspect of why we choose to write about someone.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few reasons, but I think the main one was because at the end, I just felt he portrayed what so many Native Americans must have felt, defeat. They just wanted to lie their lives as peacefully as they could. I could just really see all the sadness they must have experienced.
DeleteThis is an excellent write up on Chief Joseph which admittedly I was unfamiliar with until reading this. The direct narrative quote you chose describing the painful emotion of defeat after surrender fits the picture also. I’ll comment further after reading up more on this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteThank you sharing information on Chief Joseph. From your account it appears Chief Joseph was a great leader who did all he could to keep the land of his peoples. It is amazing how many promises were broken, but none that the Chief can be given credit for.
ReplyDeleteThe Native People had so many great leaders. In my studies for this class I listened to an interview with Oren Lyons on PBS. In the course of the interview, Chief Lyons, stated that the Chief is picked by one of the women of the tribe. I thought this interesting, as I thought if nothing else the heir of the previous Chief would gain the position. But, so many ways and means go into the culture of the Native Peoples.
As a last note, this the first account that I have been exposed to of the betrayal done to Native Peoples of the Northwest. The pattern is the same and the result is the same. Abuse on the Native People. Not to mention to lost control of the land they love.