Old Chief Joseph
I've long been a student of the Native American history of the Inland NW, particularly the Coeur d' Alene and Nez Perce tribes. The Nez Perce were instrumental in the completion and success of Lewis and Clark's exploration of the PNW. Unfortunately their friendly and supportive ways with the new settlers in time was taken advantage of, to their detriment. This great chief was the father of the famous Chief Joseph, who was one of the leaders of their last struggle to keep their homelands. They were unsuccessful. Old Chief Joseph is buried in the heart of the lands that they cherished, and lost, near Wallowa Lake and Joseph OR.
From Wiki:
"Old Chief Joseph (c. 1785-1871), Tu-eka-kas, also known as Joseph the Elder, was an American Indian chief of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce . Old Chief Joseph was one of the first Nez Percé converts to Christianity and a vigorous advocate of the tribe's early peace with whites. In 1855 he aided Washington's territorial governor and set up a Nez Percé reservation that expanded from Oregon into Idaho. The Nez Perce agreed to give up a section of their tribal lands in return for an assurance whites would not intrude upon the sacred Wallowa Valley. Nevertheless in 1863, following a gold rush in Nez Percé territory, the federal government took back approximately 6 million acres of this land. This confined the Nez Percé to a 10,000-acre reservation in Idaho which was only one tenth its previous size. Old Joseph argued that this second treaty was never approved by his people. Feeling deceived, Old Chief Joseph condemned the United States, slashed his American flag, shred his Bible, and declined to move his band from the Wallowa Valley or to sign the treaty that would make the new reservation boundaries legitimate."
The Nez Perce are slowly buying back some of the lands they lost.
Old Chief Joseph
I've long been a student of the Native American history of the Inland NW, particularly the Coeur d' Alene and Nez Perce tribes. The Nez Perce were instrumental in the completion and success of Lewis and Clark's exploration of the PNW. Unfortunately their friendly and supportive ways with the new settlers in time was taken advantage of, to their detriment. This great chief was the father of the famous Chief Joseph, who was one of the leaders of their last struggle to keep their homelands. They were unsuccessful. Old Chief Joseph is buried in the heart of the lands that they cherished, and lost, near Wallowa Lake and Joseph OR.
From Wiki:
"Old Chief Joseph (c. 1785-1871), Tu-eka-kas, also known as Joseph the Elder, was an American Indian chief of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce . Old Chief Joseph was one of the first Nez Percé converts to Christianity and a vigorous advocate of the tribe's early peace with whites. In 1855 he aided Washington's territorial governor and set up a Nez Percé reservation that expanded from Oregon into Idaho. The Nez Perce agreed to give up a section of their tribal lands in return for an assurance whites would not intrude upon the sacred Wallowa Valley. Nevertheless in 1863, following a gold rush in Nez Percé territory, the federal government took back approximately 6 million acres of this land. This confined the Nez Percé to a 10,000-acre reservation in Idaho which was only one tenth its previous size. Old Joseph argued that this second treaty was never approved by his people. Feeling deceived, Old Chief Joseph condemned the United States, slashed his American flag, shred his Bible, and declined to move his band from the Wallowa Valley or to sign the treaty that would make the new reservation boundaries legitimate."
The Nez Perce are slowly buying back some of the lands they lost.