Chief Joseph

“When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.”

“It does not require many words to speak the truth.”

“I would give up everything rather than have the blood of white men upon the hands of my people.”

“Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.”

“All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.”

“It required a strong heart to stand up against such talk, but I urged my people to be quiet and not to begin a war.”

“Lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa country.”

“Governor Isaac Stevens of the Washington Territory said there were a great many white people in our country, and many more would come; that he wanted the land marked out so that the Indians and the white man could be separated.”

“A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal.”

“I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.”

“I labored hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed.”

“For a short time we lived quietly. But this could not last. White men had found gold in the mountains around the land of winding water.”

“I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of white men by my people.”

“I cannot tell how much my heart suffered for my people while at Leavenworth.”

“General Howard informed me, in a haughty spirit, that he would give my people 30 days to go back home, collect all their stock, and move onto the reservation.”

“Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them an even chance to live and grow.”

“We gathered all the stock we could find, and made an attempt to move. We left many of our horses and cattle in Wallowa. We lost several hundred in crossing the river.”

“You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.”

“I said in my heart that, rather than have war, I would give up my country.”

“We did not know there were other people besides the Indian until about one hundred winters ago, when some men with white faces came to our country.”