On
October 5, 1877
, Chief Joseph, exhausted and disheartened, surrendered in the Bears Paw Mountains of Montana, forty miles south of Canada. Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain was born in 1840 in the Wallowa Valley of what is now northeastern Oregon.
Did Chief Joseph make it to Canada?
Over the course of four long months, Chief Joseph and his 700 followers, a group that included just 200 actual warriors, embarked on
a 1,400-mile march toward Canada
. The journey included several impressive victories against a U.S. force that numbered more than 2,000 soldiers.
What happened to Chief Joseph's tribe?
Chief Joseph and his band were
sent at first to a barren reservation in Indian Territory
(later Oklahoma); there many sickened and died. Not until 1885 were he and the remnants of his tribe allowed to go to a reservation in Washington—though still in exile from their valley.
What did Chief Joseph say in 1877?
“
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.
” On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph spoke these words during his surrender in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana.
When was Chief Joseph exiled?
In
1885
, the government allowed Nez Perce who had converted to Christianity to return to the tribe's reservation at Lapwai. Joseph was forced into exile at Colville, never to permanently return to his beloved Wallowas.
Did any Nez Perce make it to Canada?
Flight of the Nez Perce
On May 31st, led by Chief Joseph, the Nez Perce began what would eventually become a
1,170-mile (1,883 km)
flight for freedom to Canada, only to be stopped 40 miles (64 km) short of the border in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana.
Why did the Nez Perce surrender?
Chief Joseph's surrender to General Nelson A. Miles, October 5, 1877. … As they began their journey to Idaho, Chief Joseph learned that a group of Nez Percé men, enraged at the loss of their homeland,
had killed some white settlers
in the Salmon River area. Fearing U.S. Army retaliation, the chief began a retreat.
Are the Nez Perce still around?
Today, the Nez Perce Tribe is a
federally recognized tribal nation
with more than 3,500 citizens.
Did Chief Joseph speak English?
The accuracy of that transcription is in doubt; for one thing,
Joseph did not speak English
and whatever he said had to be translated. But Joseph later specified that he did say words which amounted to, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more” (Joseph).
What Chief Joseph is famous for?
Chief Joseph was a
Nez Perce leader
who led his tribe called the Wallowa band of Nez Perce through a treacherous time in United States history. These indigenous people were natives to the Wallowa Valley in Oregon. Chief Joseph was a powerful advocate for his people's rights to remain on their homeland.
Why is Chief Joseph important to American history?
The retreat of Chief Joseph is called the Nez Perce War. It is often considered one of the most
masterful retreats
in military history. With just 200 warriors, Chief Joseph managed to take his people 1,400 miles while fighting fourteen battles against the much larger and better equipped U.S. army.
What does Chief Joseph mean when he famously says I will fight no more forever?
“I Will Fight No More Forever” documents
this long and violent struggle between Euro-Americans and Native Americans for the lands and resources of North America
. It emphasizes the oppression of the Nez Perce by the U.S. government and its military, eventually resulting in the displacement and death of the Indians.
How old is chief Joseph?
On September 21, 1904, the Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph dies on the Colville reservation in northern Washington at the age of
64
.
What did Chief Joseph say when surrendered?
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce peoples surrenders to U.S. General Nelson A. Miles in the Bear Paw mountains of Montana, declaring,
“Hear me, my chiefs: My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
What do the great white chiefs not tell Chief Joseph?
They do not protect my father's grave
. They do not pay for my horses and cattle. Good words do not give me back my children. Good words will not make good the promise of your war chief, General Miles.
