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Chief Joseph: Guardian of the People
Chief Joseph (1840-1904) became a legend due to his heroic efforts to keep his people in their homeland in Oregon's Wallowa Valley despite a treaty that ordered them onto a reservation in Idaho. In 1877, when the US army forced the Nez Percé away from their lands, Joseph led his tribespeople on a 1,500-mile, four-month flight from western Idaho across Montana, through Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming, toward safety in Canada.
During this journey, the Army attacked the Indians several times; in one battle alone, at the Big Hole in western Montana, ninety Indian men, women, and children were killed. The Nez Percés' flight ended at the Bear's Paw mountains in northern Montana, just forty miles from the safety of the Canadian border. There the Army surrounded the Nez Percé, captured their horses, killed all but two of their primary chiefs, and forced their capitulation.
When Chief Joseph surrendered to military leaders he told them, "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."
Promised by military commanders that they would be returned to Idaho, the Nez Percés were instead relocated to Indian Territory in Oklahoma where many died of fever and disease. Chief Joseph began a new fight-for better conditions for his people and the right to return to their home country. His diplomacy and eloquence won public support and ultimately resulted in the Nez Percé's return to Idaho and Washington.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
During this journey, the Army attacked the Indians several times; in one battle alone, at the Big Hole in western Montana, ninety Indian men, women, and children were killed. The Nez Percés' flight ended at the Bear's Paw mountains in northern Montana, just forty miles from the safety of the Canadian border. There the Army surrounded the Nez Percé, captured their horses, killed all but two of their primary chiefs, and forced their capitulation.
When Chief Joseph surrendered to military leaders he told them, "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."
Promised by military commanders that they would be returned to Idaho, the Nez Percés were instead relocated to Indian Territory in Oklahoma where many died of fever and disease. Chief Joseph began a new fight-for better conditions for his people and the right to return to their home country. His diplomacy and eloquence won public support and ultimately resulted in the Nez Percé's return to Idaho and Washington.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 19, 2009
My one-phrase rundown: an amazingly well-researched account of a sad chapter in a sad era of American history
If one is not familiar with the story of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce, especially their flight of 1877, this book is a great introduction. Moulton’s book was well-received by some Nez Perce, and let’s face it, it’s a lot shorter than Greene’s Nez Perce Summer.
I have been to several Nez Perce Trail historical sites, and done my share of reading. I once entertained the though of violating the rules of Big Hole National Battlefield, to see what it felt like to be there at night. I didn’t do it, of course, because it would have been disrespectful, but I also feared that mere academic curiosity and sociocultural sensitivity might not actually prepare me for that experience. As a ranger for Yellowstone National Park, I was privileged to witness the improved relationship between the NPS and the Nez Perce leadership. While not perfect, the Nez Perce now (evidently) feel welcome enough to travel to Yellowstone, where they perform ceremonies honoring their ancestors' flight through the park. I also learned a lot from Moulton’s detailed and well-written addition to the American Heroes series.
I think that most people, though, regardless of their interest in Native American history, will likely recognize at least one Nez Perce. Just as the Ni-mii-pu are known to the world as the Nez Perce, this man, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, was widely known as Chief Joseph.
The summer of 1877 was characterized by a desperate 1500-mile hegira in which ~750 Wallowa Nez Perce repeatedly outsmarted, outran, or defeated four different US Calvary units sent after them over four months. The events leading up to the flight were complex and served as a testament to Joseph’s skill as a leader: despite repeated broken promises and some Nez Perce deaths at the hands of settlers, Joseph managed to counsel peace. He maintained a tense peace between the non-treaty Nez Perce – those bands like his who had chosen not to go to the Lapwai Nez Perce reservation in Idaho – for six years. It was finally several young warriors, seeking revenge and unwillingly to listen to talk of peace or tolerance, who struck the blow that spelled the end for the Wallowa band.
After the revenge killings of several settlers, the non-treaty leaders knew that they had no choice but to run. Naively hoping that they could escape the Idaho territorial authorities, the Wallowa Nez Perce first planned to travel eastward to ‘buffalo country’ and possibly ally with Crow living east of the Absaroka/Beartooths. However, when traveling though Yellowstone National Park, designated as such only five years before, they learned that the Crow would not support them. Further, US Calvary troops under Miles and Gibbon were closing in from the east, even as Howard pursued them from the south.
The fateful decision was made. The Wallowa Nez Perce turned north, trying to reach Sitting Bull’s camp. After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull had escaped to relative safety on the other side of the Medicine Line – the Canadian Border. If they Nez Perce could make it to his camp, they would be beyond the reach of the US government. It was not to be, however, and 30 miles south of the border, Calvary under the command of General Miles caught the Nez Perce at the foot of the Bear Paw mountains. After several days of close fighting, Joseph and other leaders discussed how the Nez Perce could slip away in the darkness and reach the border. To do so required leaving the remaining sick, wounded, young and elderly behind, and Joseph would not agree. Against the wishes of other leaders, he surrendered with the now-famous promise that ‘from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.’ White Bird chose to slip away and successfully took some of the Nez Perce to Canada.
The eloquent surrender at the Bear Paw battlefield often ends the tale of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, understood as it so often is from a purely military perspective. Moulton, however, goes on to describe the trials of the Wallowa Nez Perce on the reservations of so-called Indian Country in Kansas. Shipped to a region where they had never lived, the Nez Perce, like other peoples, suffered greatly from the hot, humid weather and warm-climate diseases like malaria; adults slowly died and infant mortality was high. For all the years leading up to his death, Joseph tirelessly petitioned for the Nez Perce to be allowed to return to Oregon.
Discussions involving the numerous US government promises which were subsequently broken are practically axiomatic in the recent histories of native nations. In the case of the Nez Perce, though, the events that landed them in Kansas seem uncommonly poignant. Journalists, lawyers, Indian agents, Army officers, missionaries, settlers and merchants repeatedly portrayed the Nez Perce in ways which might seem condescending to us, but are in fact notable for their complementary nature. That such a wide array of white people repeatedly described the Nez Perce with words like ‘well-dressed’, ‘handsome’, ‘honest’, ‘wealthy’ and ‘intelligent’, is striking for 1870s whites talking about Indians.
Joseph himself, highly regarded among his own people, stunned many white observers with his eloquence and abilities as a negotiator. General Miles regarded the Nez Perce with respect, and after carrying out his orders to capture them, later came to lobby for their return to Oregon. The one-armed General Howard, who also pursued Joseph’s band in 1877, called him a ‘great man’ and said the Nez Perce could ‘never be blotted out’. The man known as Joseph did not speak English, yet during the years he spent lobbying for the return of the Nez Perce to the Wallowa Valley, he orated to Congress and standing presidents and gained widespread public support.
It was this fame that led may people to attribute all the 1877 actions of the Nez Perce to Joseph. That was inaccurate, as the band fleeing from the Wallowa Valley had several leaders, such as Lean Elk, White Bird, and Joseph’s own brother Ollokot, who made many successful decisions at different times, especially in terms of military tactics. Joseph’s responsibility throughout the summer of 1877 was to keep the families of the Nez Perce organized and safe during the ordeal. It was that sacred duty which likely influenced his choice to surrender at Bear Paw; his people were starving, wounded, freezing and exhausted. The wealth of the Nez Perce – their shelters and supplies and the famous horse herd – had been all but spent during their trials.
Joseph’s friend General Miles was promoted to Brigadier General in 1880, gaining him political influence which he used to promote the return of the Nez Perce. In 1900, Joseph returned to the Wallowa to investigate the possibility of a reservation there, although civilian federal authorities stopped that plan. Eventually, some Wallowa Nez Perce were moved back to the reservation in the Lapwai, Idaho. In a final insult to the man that so many people deeply respected, Joseph was not allowed to live on the Lapwai Nez Perce reservation because he refused to convert to Christianity. Joseph and other Dreamers were forced to live on the Colville reservation in northeastern Washington.
In what turned out to be his last appeal for allowing his people to return to Oregon, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt shared a meal of bison with Teddy Roosevelt in 1903. That meeting had no tangible results, and the man we know as Chief Joseph never again lived in the Wallowa Valley, where his father was buried. He died on the Colville reservation in 1904.
If one is not familiar with the story of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce, especially their flight of 1877, this book is a great introduction. Moulton’s book was well-received by some Nez Perce, and let’s face it, it’s a lot shorter than Greene’s Nez Perce Summer.
I have been to several Nez Perce Trail historical sites, and done my share of reading. I once entertained the though of violating the rules of Big Hole National Battlefield, to see what it felt like to be there at night. I didn’t do it, of course, because it would have been disrespectful, but I also feared that mere academic curiosity and sociocultural sensitivity might not actually prepare me for that experience. As a ranger for Yellowstone National Park, I was privileged to witness the improved relationship between the NPS and the Nez Perce leadership. While not perfect, the Nez Perce now (evidently) feel welcome enough to travel to Yellowstone, where they perform ceremonies honoring their ancestors' flight through the park. I also learned a lot from Moulton’s detailed and well-written addition to the American Heroes series.
I think that most people, though, regardless of their interest in Native American history, will likely recognize at least one Nez Perce. Just as the Ni-mii-pu are known to the world as the Nez Perce, this man, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, was widely known as Chief Joseph.
The summer of 1877 was characterized by a desperate 1500-mile hegira in which ~750 Wallowa Nez Perce repeatedly outsmarted, outran, or defeated four different US Calvary units sent after them over four months. The events leading up to the flight were complex and served as a testament to Joseph’s skill as a leader: despite repeated broken promises and some Nez Perce deaths at the hands of settlers, Joseph managed to counsel peace. He maintained a tense peace between the non-treaty Nez Perce – those bands like his who had chosen not to go to the Lapwai Nez Perce reservation in Idaho – for six years. It was finally several young warriors, seeking revenge and unwillingly to listen to talk of peace or tolerance, who struck the blow that spelled the end for the Wallowa band.
After the revenge killings of several settlers, the non-treaty leaders knew that they had no choice but to run. Naively hoping that they could escape the Idaho territorial authorities, the Wallowa Nez Perce first planned to travel eastward to ‘buffalo country’ and possibly ally with Crow living east of the Absaroka/Beartooths. However, when traveling though Yellowstone National Park, designated as such only five years before, they learned that the Crow would not support them. Further, US Calvary troops under Miles and Gibbon were closing in from the east, even as Howard pursued them from the south.
The fateful decision was made. The Wallowa Nez Perce turned north, trying to reach Sitting Bull’s camp. After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull had escaped to relative safety on the other side of the Medicine Line – the Canadian Border. If they Nez Perce could make it to his camp, they would be beyond the reach of the US government. It was not to be, however, and 30 miles south of the border, Calvary under the command of General Miles caught the Nez Perce at the foot of the Bear Paw mountains. After several days of close fighting, Joseph and other leaders discussed how the Nez Perce could slip away in the darkness and reach the border. To do so required leaving the remaining sick, wounded, young and elderly behind, and Joseph would not agree. Against the wishes of other leaders, he surrendered with the now-famous promise that ‘from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.’ White Bird chose to slip away and successfully took some of the Nez Perce to Canada.
The eloquent surrender at the Bear Paw battlefield often ends the tale of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, understood as it so often is from a purely military perspective. Moulton, however, goes on to describe the trials of the Wallowa Nez Perce on the reservations of so-called Indian Country in Kansas. Shipped to a region where they had never lived, the Nez Perce, like other peoples, suffered greatly from the hot, humid weather and warm-climate diseases like malaria; adults slowly died and infant mortality was high. For all the years leading up to his death, Joseph tirelessly petitioned for the Nez Perce to be allowed to return to Oregon.
Discussions involving the numerous US government promises which were subsequently broken are practically axiomatic in the recent histories of native nations. In the case of the Nez Perce, though, the events that landed them in Kansas seem uncommonly poignant. Journalists, lawyers, Indian agents, Army officers, missionaries, settlers and merchants repeatedly portrayed the Nez Perce in ways which might seem condescending to us, but are in fact notable for their complementary nature. That such a wide array of white people repeatedly described the Nez Perce with words like ‘well-dressed’, ‘handsome’, ‘honest’, ‘wealthy’ and ‘intelligent’, is striking for 1870s whites talking about Indians.
Joseph himself, highly regarded among his own people, stunned many white observers with his eloquence and abilities as a negotiator. General Miles regarded the Nez Perce with respect, and after carrying out his orders to capture them, later came to lobby for their return to Oregon. The one-armed General Howard, who also pursued Joseph’s band in 1877, called him a ‘great man’ and said the Nez Perce could ‘never be blotted out’. The man known as Joseph did not speak English, yet during the years he spent lobbying for the return of the Nez Perce to the Wallowa Valley, he orated to Congress and standing presidents and gained widespread public support.
It was this fame that led may people to attribute all the 1877 actions of the Nez Perce to Joseph. That was inaccurate, as the band fleeing from the Wallowa Valley had several leaders, such as Lean Elk, White Bird, and Joseph’s own brother Ollokot, who made many successful decisions at different times, especially in terms of military tactics. Joseph’s responsibility throughout the summer of 1877 was to keep the families of the Nez Perce organized and safe during the ordeal. It was that sacred duty which likely influenced his choice to surrender at Bear Paw; his people were starving, wounded, freezing and exhausted. The wealth of the Nez Perce – their shelters and supplies and the famous horse herd – had been all but spent during their trials.
Joseph’s friend General Miles was promoted to Brigadier General in 1880, gaining him political influence which he used to promote the return of the Nez Perce. In 1900, Joseph returned to the Wallowa to investigate the possibility of a reservation there, although civilian federal authorities stopped that plan. Eventually, some Wallowa Nez Perce were moved back to the reservation in the Lapwai, Idaho. In a final insult to the man that so many people deeply respected, Joseph was not allowed to live on the Lapwai Nez Perce reservation because he refused to convert to Christianity. Joseph and other Dreamers were forced to live on the Colville reservation in northeastern Washington.
In what turned out to be his last appeal for allowing his people to return to Oregon, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt shared a meal of bison with Teddy Roosevelt in 1903. That meeting had no tangible results, and the man we know as Chief Joseph never again lived in the Wallowa Valley, where his father was buried. He died on the Colville reservation in 1904.
November 27, 2024
There are so many books about Chief Joseph. I like that this one had many primary source accounts and much of his own words. He was truly inspirational and an exemplary human facing unimaginable hardship.
August 15, 2018
Great telling of an American tragedy. Would love to eventually follow the Nez Perce trail from start to finish.
December 13, 2020
A serviceable, short, and well-written introduction to the Nez Perce War.
September 30, 2024
Heartwrenching, well researched biography of one of the great Native American chiefs.
September 12, 2012
I find it generally frustrating how little is known about Nez Perces of this era. I can find the perspective of thousands of white people who kept journals and wrote letters and published articles.
I also have found it frustrating before that some of what I have read about Chief Joseph has been taken almost entirely from white military.
This author did a fabulous job of researching to find statements from natives. She explains tribal traditions and perspectives beautifully.
I was, however, wishing there had been less of a focus on the battles and details of the whites who encountered them. Perhaps I am biased though, having heard and read all about the battles before.
Still, this was a good book. Reading it made me all the more sad that Chief Joseph is not more celebrated in the United States. He was a rare man of unparalleled humanity and wisdom.
I also have found it frustrating before that some of what I have read about Chief Joseph has been taken almost entirely from white military.
This author did a fabulous job of researching to find statements from natives. She explains tribal traditions and perspectives beautifully.
I was, however, wishing there had been less of a focus on the battles and details of the whites who encountered them. Perhaps I am biased though, having heard and read all about the battles before.
Still, this was a good book. Reading it made me all the more sad that Chief Joseph is not more celebrated in the United States. He was a rare man of unparalleled humanity and wisdom.
March 3, 2009
I thought this book was going to be terrible. I wanted to know more about Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce but didn't have a lot of time to invest in one of the more academic titles on the subject. I was happily surprised.
Despite being written in novel form the author did her research. Beyond a few schmaltzy, segments she hones a pretty decent read. Chief Joseph's flight from federal troops is an important, but understudied, piece of American and Oregonian history. Moulton gives you a decent ideas of just what happened and also provides an emotional context for it all.
I'm sure there are much better books on the subject, but if you have a short attention span and just need the jist you should check it out. I'd also recommend it for younger readers.
Despite being written in novel form the author did her research. Beyond a few schmaltzy, segments she hones a pretty decent read. Chief Joseph's flight from federal troops is an important, but understudied, piece of American and Oregonian history. Moulton gives you a decent ideas of just what happened and also provides an emotional context for it all.
I'm sure there are much better books on the subject, but if you have a short attention span and just need the jist you should check it out. I'd also recommend it for younger readers.
January 24, 2015
Reading about the flight of the Nez Perce and the disregard of treaty by the US government, one begins to understand the plight of the Nez Perce Wallowa band and by extension, the extant Indian culture before Manifest Destiny. The book is short and well researched--the story is extremely compelling. Moulton describes in some excruciating detail about place names, battles fought...maybe one might want to visit those places? I got the book, looking for more developed characters; Joseph was a developed character, but others were not. However, the emotional and intellectual views of the people were well made. A quick, non-intellectual read that doesn't compare well with other popular biographies.
July 3, 2013
Sadly - this is a part of US History that I never learned. Growing up, this particular area of History was glossed over in both High School and College. Reading about the flight of the Nez Perce and the manner in which treaty after treaty is disregarded by the US government...I can certainly see why that is the case now. The book is not that long -- but the story is extremely compelling. Highly recommend.
October 26, 2014
I picked up this book earlier this summer while in Yellowstone. I was interested in the story of the Nez Percesers tribe since there were so many markers and historic points in the north west of this tribe and Chief Joseph's leadership. Very interesting and yet sad. I find history very interesting and revealing.
February 13, 2014
Loved it! Great history but extremely sad hoe their people were treated. Shame on us.
May 20, 2015
The book was interesting and extremely informative, but I gave it only four stars because it was a little boring for my style.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews