ONE OE the most famous leaders of the Nez Perce nation in the Pacific Northwest was Chief Joseph. Born in Oregon in 1840, he was named Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, or Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain. When Chief Joseph was a boy, his father converted to Christianity and took the name of Joseph. The father became Joseph the Elder and his son, Joseph the Younger.
Joseph the Elder was a major advocate of peace with the Americans and helped establish a Nez Perce reservation. But in 1863 gold was discovered on Nez Perce land, and the government took back almost six million acres and wanted the tribe restricted to a small piece of
Land in Idaho. Joseph the Elder refused to sign a treaty or move his band. When he died in 1871, his son succeeded him.
Chief Joseph.
Quanah Parker.
His funeral
QUANAH PARKER
Quanah Parker was born the son of a Comanche chief,
Peta Nocona, and a white captive, Cynthia Ann Parker.
When he was still a young boy, his mother and sister were recaptured by soldiers. It's been said that they couldn't readjust to living in white culture, and both died within a few years.
At a young age, Quanah distinguished himself as a warrior and became a leader of the Kwahadi Comanche.
As the last Comanche war chief, he reportedly never lost a battle. Although the Kwahadi Comanche were the last band to remain free, they were weary of running and decided to surrender in 1875. Quanah Parker settled in southwest Qklahoma near Fort Sill, where he became a prosperous farmer, businessman, and one of the richest and most famous Native Americans of his day. Along with Geronimo, Parker rode in Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade. As successful as he was in the white world, he never forgot his native heritage and did much for the Comanche by serving as a judge and helping others prosper by leasing surplus land to white cattlemen. When he died in 1911, procession was over two miles long.
Chief Joseph did everything he could to resist moving his band onto the reservation without going to war. In 1877, the army threatened to attack the Nez Perce unless they moved to the reservation. As Chief Joseph led his people to Idaho, a group of young, angry warriors began attacking white settlements. Although Chief Joseph had not ordered the attacks, he sided with the group that chose war over the reservation.
For three months, the Nez Perce band of 700, with less than 200 warriors, fought off 2,000 U. S. soldiers using military tactics that even impressed General William Tecumseh Sherman. Chief Joseph, like his father, had always advocated peace. He wasn’t the war chief, but he proved to be a great leader for his people and one of the most eloquent speakers of the time. In his surrender speech, he said, “My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”
World History
