Chief Joseph, or Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, was the spearhead of Wallowa band of ‘Nez Perce’, a primitive Red Indian native tribe of America. He led the revolt against the United States federal government, which forced them to leave their ancestral lands. This led to a ferociously violent period in contemporary history of the United States. After a series of blood splurged events, Joseph pleaded for political asylum and eventually found refuge in Canada. Despite the move, the U.S army sent the highly skillful and admirable leader Nez Perce in pursuit of the band. The media glorified this war between the two rivals, Joseph and the Nez Perce, which became highly sought-after in various newspaper and magazines. This developed the stature of Joseph as a renowned humanitarian and peacemaker. Despite this stature, many critics believed his image overshadowed the true colors of Joseph. Many would term Joseph as the ‘Red Napoleon’. Various theatrical adaptations have been attempted while paying tribute to Joseph and his speeches. The most prominent of them being ‘I Will Fight No More Forever’ starring Ned Romero. Let us go through some of the most enthralling quotes and sayings from this legendary rebel in history of United States, giving us an insight about his thoughts, work and life. Following are noteworthy quotes and thoughts by Chief Joseph.
The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark. They brought many things that our people had never seen. They talked straight. These men were very kind.
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.
