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
people divided
My people were divided about surrendering.
war men buying
I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
country band lawyer
Lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa country.
fighting indian
When an Indian fights, he only shoots to kill.
men vaccines white
We soon found that the white men were growing rich very fast, and were greedy.
fathers-day father eye
My father... had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
country winter men
We did not know there were other people besides the Indian until about one hundred winters ago, when some men with white faces came to our country.
morning fall hunting
When the last deer disappears into the morning mist, When the last elk vanishes from the hills, When the last buffalo falls on the plains, I will hunt mice for I am a hunter and I must have my freedom.
tired native-american heart
I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
country men land
The country was made without lines of demarcation, and it is no man's business to divide it... Do not misunderstand me, but understand me fully with reference to my affection for the land. I never said the land was mine to do with it as I chose. The one who has the right to dispose of it is the one who created it. I claim a right to live on my land and accord you the privilege to live on yours.
men justice church
We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. We do not want to learn that.
building cooperation interact positive
This is the way we want to interact with everyone. . . . That's always our goal. The more that we can interact on a positive level, the better, ... We are out there stressing cooperation and building positive relationships.
death deaths personal reason senseless
These are senseless deaths in my personal opinion, ... I can't think of any reason I could give for these homicides.
men rather white
I would give up everything rather than have the blood of white men upon the hands of my people.