Full Name: Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, known as Chief Joseph, Young Joseph and Joseph the Younger
Profession: Nez Perce Leader
Biography: Chief Joseph was a Native American leader of the Nez Perce tribe. Known for his resistance to the forced relocation of his people by the U.S. government and for his advocacy of Native American rights, his life is marked by his efforts to secure peaceful relations with the United States and his leadership during the Nez Perce War of 1877.
Chief Joseph succeeded his father, Chief Joseph the Elder, in the early 1870s as the leader of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce in Oregon. Born Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, he adopted the Christian name Joseph after his baptism. The discovery of gold on Nez Perce lands led to the Treaty of 1863 which reduced their lands, a treaty that Joseph and other chiefs refused to acknowledge, leading to conflicts with U.S. authorities.
As leader, Chief Joseph initially sought to peacefully resolve tensions following the treaty disputes. In 1873, he negotiated with the U.S. government to remain on their ancestral land but was coerced by General Oliver O. Howard to leave in 1877. The subsequent Nez Perce War, a prolonged and strategic retreat of over 1,170 miles, demonstrated the military acumen of the Nez Perce under Joseph's leadership.
Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877, delivering a famous speech expressing his surrender, which highlighted his despair and hope for peace. Following the war, the Nez Perce were relocated to Kansas and later to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Chief Joseph continued to advocate for his people to return to their homeland through meetings with President Rutherford B. Hayes and President Theodore Roosevelt, but to no avail.
His life has been the subject of the film I Will Fight No More Forever (1975) and the book Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce by Robert Penn Warren (1982).
Born: March 3, 1840
Birthplace: Wallowa Valley, Nez Perce territory (claimed as Oregon Country), USA
Star Sign: Pisces
Died: September 21, 1904 (aged 64)
Cause of Death: A broken heart
Historical Events
- 1873-06-16 US President Ulysses Grant decrees a portion of Wallowa Valley, Oregon for the Native American tribe Nez Perce. Order is rescinded two years later and the tribe is forcibly re-located to Oklahoma.
- 1877-06-17 Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon - the Nez Perce defeat the US Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory
- 1877-08-10 Battle of the Big Hole: US Army led by Colonel John Gibbon fights the Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph and Looking Glass in Montana, both sides suffer heavy casualties causing the Nez Perce to continue their long fighting retreat
- 1877-08-22 800 Nez Perce Native Americans fleeing the US army attempting to reach Canada, retreat into Yellowstone National Park
- 1877-10-05 Chief Joseph and his people surrender to the US Army, ending the Nez Perce War in the Western United States
Quotes by Chief Joseph
- "Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, to see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. 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." - Battle of Bear Paw, Formal Surrender
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