Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it in Americanist orthography, popularly known as Chief Joseph or Young Joseph, succeeded his father Tuekakasas the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kainband of Nez Perce, a Native American tribe indigenous to the Wallowa Valley in northeastern Oregon, in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
ProfessionWar Hero
Date of Birth3 March 1840
CityWallowa River, OR
children giving give-me
Good words will not give me back my children.
men two looks
Look twice at a two-faced man.
reputation cursed
Cursed be he that scalps the reputation of the dead.
truth believe heart
I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things. The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to speak the truth.
hurt heart men
When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
war want ought
War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.
men people ears
I hope that no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.
country giving-up war
I said in my heart that, rather than have war, I would give up my country.
men vaccines white
We soon found that the white men were growing rich very fast, and were greedy.
truth few-words telling-the-truth
It takes few words to tell the truth.
done heard
I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done.
country men land
Governor Isaac Stevens of the Washington Territory said there were a great many white people in our country, and many more would come; that he wanted the land marked out so that the Indians and the white man could be separated.
mother native-american rights
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
native-american fighting sun
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.