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Page 1 My friends I have been asked to show you my heart. I am glad to have a chance to do so. I want the white people to understand my people. Some of you think an Indian is like an wild animal. This is a great mistake. I will tell you about our people and then you can judge whether an Indian is a man or not. I believe much trouble and blood will be saved if we open our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian see things.The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to speak the truth.What I have to say will come from my heart and I will speak with straight tounge, Ah-cum-kin-i-ma-me-hut (The Great Spirit) is looking at me,and will hear my name is In-mut-too-yah-lat-lut,Thunder Traveling Over the Mountain, I am Chief of the Wal-lam-wat-kin , band of Chut-pa-lu or Nez Perces', noes-pierced Indians. I was born in Eastern Oregon, thirty-eight winters ago my father was Chief before me. When a young man he was called Joseph by M. Spaulding, a missionary. He died a few years ago and left a good name on earth. He advised me well for my people our fathers gave us many laws which had learned from their fathers. These laws were good. They told us to treat all men as they treated us, that we should never be first to break a bargin,that it was a disgrace to tell a lie, that we should only speak the truth, that it was a shame for one man to take from another his wife or his property without paying for it. We were taught that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything and that he never forgets that here after he will give every man a spirit-home according to his desserts. If he has been a good man he will have a good home, if he has been a bad man he will have a bad home. This I believe and all my people believe the same. 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. They brought many things with them to trade for furs and skins. They brought tobacco which was new to us. They brought guns with flint stones on them. Which frightened our women and children. Our people could not talk with these white-faced men but they used signs which all people understand.These men were frenchmen and they called our people Nez Perces' because they wore rings in ther noses for ornaments. Although very few of our people wear them now. We are still called by the same name. These French trappers said a great many things to our fathers,which have been planted in our hearts. Some were good for us but some were bad. Our people were divided in opinion about these men. Some thought they taught more bad than good.An Indian respects a braveman but he despises a coward. He loves a straight tounge but he hates a forked tounge. The French trappers told us some truth and some lies. The first white man of your people who came to our country were named Lewis & Clark, they also brought many things that our people have never seen. They talked straight and our people gave them a great feast as a proof that their hearts were friendly. These men were very kind. They made presents to our Chiefs and our people made presents to them. We had a great many horses of which we gave them what they needed. And they gave us guns and tobacco in return. All the Nez Perce' made friend with Lewis & Clark and agreed to let them pass through their country and never to make war on the white man. This promise the Nez perce' has never broken. No white man can accuse them of bad faith and speak with straight tounge. It has always been the pride of the Nez Perce' that they were friends of the white man. When my father was a young man there came to our country a white man Rev. Mr. Spaulding who talked spirit law. He won the affection of our people because he spoke good things to them.At first he did not say anything white men wanting to settle on our lands.Nothing was said util about twenty winters ago when a number of white men came into our country and built houses and made farms. At first our people made no complaints they thought there was room enough for all to live in Peace and they were learning many things from the white man that seemed to be good. But we soon found that the white man were growing rich and were greedy to possess everything the Indian had. My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white men and warned his tribe to be careful about trading with them. He has suspicion of men who seemed anxious to make money, I was a boy then but I remeber well my father's caution, he had shaper eyes than the rest of our people. Next came a white officer Govenor Stevens who invited all the Nez Perce' to a tready coincil. After the council was opened he made his heart known.He said there were a great many white people in our country and many more would come, that he wanted land marked out so that the Indians and white men coulds be seperated if there was to be Peace it was necessary.He said that the Indians should have a country set apart for them and in that country they must stay. My father who represented his band refused to have anything to do with the council because he wished to be a free man. He claimed that no man owned any part of the earth and a man could not sell what he did not own. Mr. Spaulding took hold of my fathers arm and said "Come and sign the treaty",my father pushed him away and said "Why do you ask me to sign away my country? It is your business to talk to us about spiritual matters and not talk to us about parting with our lands" Govenor Stevens urged my father to sign his treaty but refused."I will not sign your paper" he said "You go where you please so do I, you are not a child, I am not a child. I can think for myself, no man can think for me, I have no home other than this, I will not give it up to any man. My people would have no home. Take away your paper, I will not touch it with my hand." My father left the council. | |
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| Page 2 Some of the Chiefs of the other bands of the Nez Perce' signed the treaty and then Govenor Stevens gave them presents of blankets. My father cautioned his people to take no presents. For after a while he said "They will claim you have accepted pay for your country". Since that time four bands of the Nez prece' have recieved annuities from The United States. My father was invited to many councils and they tried hard to make him sign the treaty but he was firm as a rock and would not sign away his home. His refusal caused a diffrence among the Nez Perce'. Eight years later ,Eighteen sixty- three was the next treaty council. A Chief called lawyer because he was a great talker took the lead in this council and sold nearly all the Nez Perce' country. My father was not there. He said to me " When you go to council with the white man always remember your country. Do not give it away. The white man will cheat you out of your home. I have taken no pay from the Unites States. I have never sold our land. In this treaty lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa-winding Water country that had belong to my fathers own people and other bands had never disputed our right to it. No other Indian ever claimed Wallowa. "In order to have all people understand how much land we owned my father planted poles around it and said "Inside is the home of my people. the white man may take the land outside, Inside this boundry all our people were born, it circles around the graves of our fathers and we will never give up these graves to any man. The unites States claimed they had bought all the Nez perce' country outside Lapwai Reservation from lawyer and all other chiefs but we continue to live on this land in peace until eighteen years ago when white men began to come inside the bounds of my fathers head set. We warned them agaist this great wrong but they would not leave our land and some bad blood was raised. The white man represented that we were going upon the warpath. They reported things that were false. The Unites States Government asked for a treaty council. My father had become blind and feeble. He could no longer speak for his people. It was then that I took my fathers place as Chief in this council. I made my first speach to white men I said to the agent who held the council "I did not want to come to this council but I came hoping that we could save blood. The white man had no right to come here and take away our country. We have never accepted any presents from the Government. Neither lawyer or any other Chiefs had authority to sell this land. It has alway belonged to my people. It came unclouded to them from our fathers and we will defend this land as long as a drop of Indian blood warm the hearts of our men. The agent said he had orders from the Great White Chief of Washington for us to go upon the Lapwai Reservation and that if we obeyed he would help us in many way. You must move to the agency he said. I answered him."I will not, I do not need your help, we have plenty and we are contented and happy if the white man would leave us alone. The reservation is to small for so many people with all their stock, you can keep your presents we can go to your towns and pay for all we need We have plenty of horses and cattle to sell and we won't have any help from you, we are free now, we can go where we please. Our fathers were born here they lived here they died, here are their graves. We will never leave them. The agent went away and we had peace for a little while soon after this my father sent for me, I saw that he was dying. I took his hand in mine, he said" My son, my body is returning to my mother-earth and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great-Spirit-Chief. When I am gone think of your country, you are Chief of these people, they look to you to guide them, always remember that your father never sold this country. You must step your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land my son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your fathers body, never sell the bones of your father and mother. I pressed my fathers hand and told him I would protect his grave with my life, my father smiled and passed away to the Spirit land. I buried him in the valley of Winding Waters. I Love that land more than all of the rest of the world. A man who would not love his fathers grave is worse than a wild animal. For a short time we lived quietly. But this could not last, white men found gold in the mountains around the land of Winding Water.They stole many horses from us and we could not get them back because we were Indians. The white man told lies for each other. They drove off many of our cattle. Some white men branded our young cattle so they could claim them, we had no friends who plead our cause before the law councils. It seemed to me some of the white men in Wallowa were doing these things on purpose to get up a war. They knew we were not strong enough to fight them. I laboured hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed. We gave up some of our country to the white man thinking we could have peace. We were mistaken, the whiteman would not let us alone, we could of avenged our wrongs many times but we did not. Whenever the Government has asked us to help them against other Indians we never refused. When the white men were few and we were strong, we could of killed them all off. But the Nez Perce' wished to live at peace if we had not done so we have not been the blame. I believe the old treaty has not been correctly reported if we ever owned the land we own it still for we never sold it. In the treaty councils the comissioners have claimed that our country has been sold to the Government. | |
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| Page 3 Suppose a white man should come to me and say "Joseph I like your horses and I want to buy them" I say to him "No my horses suit me, I will not sell them" Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him "Joseph has some good horses I want to buy them but he refuses to sell". My neighbor answers "Pay me the money and I will sell you Joseph's horses". The white man returns to me and says "Joseph I have bought your horses and you must let me have them. "If we sold our lands to the Government this is the way they were bought. On account of the treaty made by the other bands of the Nez Perce', the white man claimed my lands. We were troubled greatly by white men crowding over the line, some of these were good men and we lived on peaceful terms with them but they were not all good. Nearly every year the agent came over from Lapwai and ordered us onto the reservation. We always replied that we were satisfied to live in Wallowa. We were careful to refuse presents or annuities which he offered through all the years since the white man came to Wallowa. We had been threatened and and taunted by them and the treaty Nez Perce', they have given us no rest. We had a few good friends among the white man and they have always advised my people to bear these taunts without fighting. Our young men were quick tempered and I had a great trouble in keeping them from doing rash things. I have carried a heavy load on my back since I was a boy. I learned we were but few, while the white man were many and we could not hold our own with them. We were like the deer, they were like the grizzly Bear. We had a small country. Their country was large. We were contented to let things remain. As the Great-Spirit-Chief made them,they were not and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit them. Year after year we have been threatened but no war was made upon my people until General Howard came to our country two years ago and told us he was the white war Chief of all his country. He said I have a great many soldiers at my back. I will bring them up here and then I will talk to you again. I will not let the red man laugh at me, the next time I come. this country belongs to the Government and I intend to make you go upon the reservation. I remonstrated with him aganist bringing more soldiers to Nez Perce' country. He had a full house, full of troops all the time at Fort Lapwai. The next spring the agent at Umatilla agency sent an Indian runner to tell me to meet General Howard at Walla Walla. I could not go myself but I sent my brother and five other head men to meet him and they had a long talk. General Howard said have talked straight and its alright you can stay in Wallowa, he insisted that my brother should go with him to Fort Lapwai when the party arrived General Howard sent out runners and called all Indians to a grand council, I was in that council. I said to General Howard "We are ready to listen." He answered he would not talk then but would hold a council next day. When we would talk plainly I said to General Howard,"I am ready to talk today. I have been in a great many councils but I am no wiser..we all sprung from a woman although we are unlike in many things. We can not be made over again.You are as you were made and you were made you can remain.We are just as we were made by Great-Spirit and you can not change us. Then why should children of one mother and one father quarrel, why should one try to cheat the other?" I do not believe the Great-Spirit Chief gave one man the right to tell another kind of man what they must do." General Howard replied "You deny my authority do you? You want to dictate to me do you?" Then one of my Chiefs:Too-hool-hool-suit rose in council and said to General Howard "The Great-Spirit Chief made the world as it is and he wanted it. And he made part of it for us to live upon ,I do not see where you get authority to see that we shall not live where he placed us. General Howard lost his temper and said "Shut up, I do not want to hear anymore of such talk. The law says you shall go upon the reservation to live and I want you to do so, but you persist in disobeying the law. If you do not move I will take matters into my own hand and make you suffer for your disobedience" Too-hool-hool-suit answered "Who are you that you ask us to talk and then tell me I shant talk, Are you Great-Spirit? Did you make the world? Did you make the sun? Did you make the rivers for us to drink?Did you make the grass grow? Did you make these things that you talk to us as though we were boys? If you did then you have the right to talk to us like you do" General Howard replied"You are impudent fellow and I will put you in the gaurd house" and then ordered a soldier to arrest him. Too-hool-hool-suit made no resistance, he asked General Howard "Is that your order? I dont care I have expressed my heart to you. I have nothing to take back. I have spoken for my country. You can arrest me but you can not change me or make me take back what I have said. "The soldiers came forward and seized my friend and took him to the gaurd house. My men whispered among themselves whether they should let this be done. I counciled them to sumit, they should let things be done. Page 3 Suppose a white man should come to me and say "Joseph I like your horses and I want to buy them" I say to him."No my horses suit me,I will not sell them"Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him "Joseph has some good horses I want to buy them but he refuses to sell" My neighbor answers "Pay me the money and I will sell you Josephs horses"The white man returns to me and says "Joseph I have bought your horses and you must let me have them."If we sold our lands to the Government this is the way they were bought.On account of the treaty made by the other bands of the Nez Perce',the white man claimed my lands.We were troubled greatly by white men crowding over the line,some of these were good men and we lived on peaceful terms with them but they were not all good.Nearly every year the agent came over from Lapwai and ordered us onto the reservation.we always replied that we were satisfied to live in Wallowa.we were careful to refuse presents or annuities which he offered through all the years since the white man came to Wallowa.We had been threatened and and taunted by them and the treaty Nez Perce',they have given us no rest.We had a few good friends among the white man and they have always advised my people to bear these taunts without fighting.Our young men were quick tempered and I had a great trouble in keeping them from doing rash things.I have carried a heavy load on my back since I was a boy I learned we were but few,while the white man were many and we could not hold our own with them.We were like the deer, they were like the grizzly Bear.We had a small country.Their country was large.We conted to let things remain.As the Great-Spirit-Chief made them,they were not and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit them.Year after year we have been threatened but no war was made upon my people until General Howard came to our country two years ago and told us he was the white war Chief of all his country.He said I have a great many soldiers at my back.I will bring them up here and then I will talk to you again.I will not let the white man laugh at me,the next time I come this country belongs to the Government and I intend to make you go upon the reservation.I remonstrated with him aganist bringing more soldiers to Nez Perce' country.He had a full house,full of troops all the time at Fort Lapwai.The next spring the agent at Umatilla agency sent an Indian runner to tell me to meet General Howard at Walla Walla.I could not go myself but I sent my brother and five other head men to meet him and they had a long talk.General Howard said have talked straight and its alright you can stay in Wallowa,he insisted that my brother should go with him to Fort Lapwai when the party arrived General Howard sent out runners and called all Indians to a grand council,I was in that council.I said to General Howard "We are ready to listen." He answered he would not talk then but would hold a council next day.When we would talk plainly I said to General Howard,"I am ready to talk today.I have been in a great many councils but I am no wiser..we all sprung from a woman although we are unlike in many things.We can not be made over again.You are as you were made and you were made you can remain.We are just as we were made by Great-Spirit and you can not change us.Then why should children of one mother and one father quarrel,why should one try to cheat the other?"I do not believe the Great-Spirit Chief gave one man the right to tell another kind of man what they must do."General Howard replied "You deny my authority do you?You want to dictate to me do you?" Then one of my Chiefs:Too-hool-hool-suit rose in council and said to General Howard "The Great-Spirit Chief made the world as it is and he wanted it.And he made part of it for us to live upon,I do not see where you get authority to see that we shall not live where he placed us.General Howard lost his temper and said "Shut up,I do not want to hear anymore of such talk.The law says you shall go upon the reservation to live and I want you to do so,but you persist in disobeying the law.If you do not move I will take matters into my own hand and make you suffer for your disobedience" Too-hool-hool-suit answered "Who are you that you ask us to talk and then tell me I shant talk,Are you Great-Spirit? Did you make the world? Did you make the sun? Did you make the rivers for us to drink? Did you make the grass grow? Did you make these things that you talk to us as though we were boys? If you did then you have the right to talk to us like you do" General Howard replied"You are impudent fellow and I will put you in the guard house" and then ordered a soldier to arrest him.Too-hool-hool-suit made no resistance,he asked General Howard "Is that your order? I dont care I have expressed my heart to you. I have nothing to take back. I have spoken for my country. You can arrest me but you can not change me or make me take back what I have said. "The soldiers came forward and seized my friend and took him to the gaurd house. My men whispered among themselves whether they should let this be done.I counciled them to sumit, they should let things be done. I knew if we resisted that all white men present, including General Howard would kill in a moment and we would be blamed. If I had said nothing General Howard would have never given another unjust order against my men. I saw the danger and while they dragged Too-hool-hool-suit to prison, I rose and said "I am going to talk now, I don't care if you arrest me or not" I turned to my people and said "They arrest Too-hool-hool-suit, was wrong, but we will resist the insult. We were invited to this council to express our hearts and we have done so. Too-hool-hool-suit was prisoner for five days before he was released. | |
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| Page 4 The council broke up for that day. On the next morning general Howard came by my lodge invited me to go with him and White-Bird and Looking Glass to look for land for my people. As we rode along we came to some good land that was already occupied by Indians and white people. General Howard pointing to this land said "If you will come onto the reservation I will give you thses lands and move the people off" I replied "No, It would be wrong to disturb these people. I have no right to take their homes. I have never taken what did not belong to me. I will not now." We rode all day upon the reservation and found no good land unoccupied. I have been informed by men who do not lie that General Howard sent a letter that night telling the soldiers of Walla-Walla to go to Wallowa Valley and drive us out, upon our return home. In the council next day General Howard informed me in a haughty spirit that he would give my people thirty days to go back home, collect all their stock and move onto the reservation, saying if you are not here in time I shall consider that you want to fight and I will send my soldiers to drive on you. I said "War can be avoided and it ought to be avoided, I want no war, my people have always been friends of the white man, why are you in such a hurry? I can not get ready to move in thirty days, our stock is scattered and Snake River is very high. Let us wait til fall. Then the river will be low. We want time to hunt up our stock and gather supplies for winter." General Howard replied "If you let the time run over one day the soldiers will be there and drive you on the reservation and all of your cattle and horses outside of the reservation will fall into the hands of the whiteman. "I knew I had never sold my country and that I had no land in Hapwai, but I did not want bloodshed. I did not want anybody killed. Some of my people had been murdered by whitemen and the white murders were never punished for it." I told General Howard about this and again said I wanted no war. I wanted the people who lived upon the lands I was to occupy at Hapwai to have time together their harvest. I said that in my heart, rather than war. I would give up my country, I would give up my fathers grave, I would give up everything rather than to have the blood of whitemen upon the lands of my people. General Howard refused to allow me more than thirty days to move my people and their stock. I am sure he begun to prepare for war at once, when I returned to Wallowa. I found my people very much excited upon discovering that the soldiers were already in Wallowa Valley. We held council and decided to move immediately to avoid bloodshed. Too-hool-hool-suit who felt outraged by his imprisonment talked for war and made many of my young men willing to fight rather than be driven like dogs from the land they were born . He declared that blood alone would wash out the disgrace General Howard had put upon him. It required a strong heart to stand up against such talk and I wanted my people to be quiet and not begin a war. We gathered all the stock we could find and made an attempt to move. We left many of our horses and cattle in Wallowa and we lost several hundred in crossing the river. All of my people succeeded in getting accross it safely. Many of the Nez Perce' came together in Rocky Canon to hold a Grand Council. I went with all of my people, this council lasted ten days. There was a great deal of war talk and a great deal of excitement. There was one young brave present whose father was killed by a whiteman five years before. This man's blood was bad against whitemen. And he left council calling for revenge again.I counceled peace and I thought the danger was past. We had not complied with General Howards order because we could not but we intended to do so as soon as possible. I was leaving the councel to kill beef for my people. When news came that the young man whose father had been killed had gone out with several others hot-blooded young braves and killed four white men. He rode up to the councel and shouted "Why do you sit here like women? The war has already begun. "I was deeply grieved, all the lodges were moved except my brothers and my own.I saw clearly that war was upon us. When I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammuntion. I heard that Too-hool-hool-suit, who had been imprisoned by General Howard, had succeeded in organising a war party. I knew their acts would involve all my people. I saw that their war could not be prevented. The time had passed, I counceled peace from the beginning. I knew we were to weak to fight the United States. We had many grievances but I knew the war would bring more. We had good white friends who advised us against taking the war path. My friend and brother Mr. Chapman who had been with us since the surrender told us just how the war would end. Mr.Chapman took sides against us and helped General Howard. I do not blame him from doing so. He tried hard to prevent blood-shed. We hoped the white settlers would not join the soldiers before the war commenced. We has discussed this matter all over and many of my people were in favor in warning them that if they took no part against us they should not be molested in the event of being begun by General Howard. This plan was voted down in the war councel. There were bad men among my people who had quarreled with the white men and they talked of the wrongs until they raised all the bad hearts in the council. | |
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| Page 5 Still I could not believe that they would begin a war. I knew my young men did a great wrong but I ask who was first to blame? They had been insulted a thousand times, their fathers and brothers, their mothers and wives had been disgraced, they had been driven to madness by whiskey sold to them by white men. They had been told by General Howard that all their horses and cattle which they had been unable to drive out of Wallowa were to fall into the hands of white men. And added to all this they were homeless and desperate I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of white men by my people. I blame my young people and I blame the white man. I blame General Howard for not giving my people time to get their stock away from Wallowa. I do not aknowledge that he had the right to order me to leave Wallowa at anytime. I deny that either my father or myself ever sold land. It is still our land, it may never again be our home but my father sleeps there and I Love it as I Love my mother,I left there hoping to avoid bloodshed, if General Howard had given me plenty of time to gather up my stock and treated Tool-hool-hool-suit as a man should be treated, there would have been no war. My friends among whitemen have blamed me for the war. I am not to blame when my young men begin the killing. My heart was hurt although I did not justify them. I remembered all the insults I had endured and my blood was on fire. Still I would of taken my people to the buffalo country without fighting if possible. I could see no other way to avoid war. We moved to White Bird Creek sixteen miles away and there encamped intending to collect our stock before leaving, but the soldiers attacked us and the first battle was fought. We numbered in the battle sixty men and the soldiers a hundred. The fight lasted but a few minutes when the soldiers retreated before us, for twelve miles,they lost thirty-three killed and seven wounded.When an Indian fights he only shoots to kill. But soldiers shot at random. None of the soldiers were scalped. We do not believe in scalping, nor killing wounded men, soldiers do not kill many Indians, unless they are wounded and left upon the battle-field. General Howard arrived in Nez Perces country bringing several hundred more soldiers.It was now war in earnest, we crossed the Salmon River hopeing General Howard would follow,we were not disappointed he did follow us and we got back between him and his supplies and cut off for three days. He sent out two companies and cut him off and to open the way. We attcked them killing one officer and two guides and ten men, we withdrew hoping the soldiers would follow, but they had got enough fighting for that day. They entreanced themselves and next day we attacked them again. The battle lasted all day and we renewed the next morning.We killed four and wounded seven or eight. About this time General Howard found out we were in his rear. Five days later he attacked us with three hundred, and settlers. We had two hundred and fifty warriors. The fight lasted for twenty seven hours....we lost, four killed and several wounded. General Howard loss was twenty-nine men killed and sixty wounded. The following day soldiers charged upon us and we retreated with our families and stock, a few miles, leaving eighty lodges to fall into General Howards hands. Finding we were outnumbered we retreated to Bitter Root Valley country in peace. We bought provisions and traded stock with whitemen there. We understand that there is to be no more war. We intend to go peaceably to buffalo country to be settled afterwords with this understanding. We traveled on for days and thinking the trouble was over.We stopped and prepared tent poles to take with us. We started again and at the end of two days we saw three whitemen passing our camp. thinking that peace had been made we did not molest them. We could of killed them or taken them prisoners, but we did not suspect them of being spies,which they were. At night, the soldiers surrounded our camp. About day break one of my men went out to look after his horse. The soldiers saw him and shot him down like a coyote. I have since learned these soldiers were not those we left behind. They had come upon us from another direction. The new white war chief was Gibbon. He charged upon us while some of my people were still asleep. We had a hard fight, some of my men crept around and attacked the soldiers from the rear. In this battle we lost nearly all of our lodges, but we finally drove General Gibbon back, finding that he was not able to capture us, he sent to his camp,a few miles away, for his big guns, but my men had captured them and all the ammunition. We damaged the big guns, all we could and carried away the powder and lead. In the fight with General Gibbon we lost fifty women and children and thirty fighting men. We remained long enough to burry our dead. The Nez perces never make war on women and children. We could of killed a great many women and children while the war lasted but we would feel ashamed to do so an cowardly act. We never scapl our enemies but when General Howard came up and joined General Gibbon, their Indian scouts dug up our dead and scalped them. I have been told General Howard did not order this great shame to be done. We retreated as rapidly as we could toward the buffalo country, after six days general Howard came close to us and we went out and attacked him and captured nearly all his horses and mules, about two-hundred fifty head. We then marched onto Yellowstone Basin. | |
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| Page 6 On the way we captured one white man and two white women. We released them at the end of three days, they were treated kindly. The women were not insulted. Can the white soldiers tell me one time when Indian women were taken prisoner and held three days and then released three without being insulted? Were the Nez Perces women who fell into the hands of General Howard treated with as much respect? I deny that a Nez Perces was ever guilty of such a crime. A few days later we captured two more white men ,one of them stole a horse and escaped.Then gave the other a poor horse and told him he was free. Nine days march brought us to the mouth of Clarks Fork of Yellowstone. We did not know what became of General Howard, but we suppoed he had sent for more horses and mules. He did not come up but another new war chief General Sturges attacked us, we held him in check while we moved all our women and childern and stock out of danger leaving a few men to cover our retreat. Several days passed and we heard nothing of General Howard or Gibbon or Sturgis. We had repulsed each in turn and began to feel secure when another army under General Miles struck us.This was the fourth army each of which outnumbered our flighting force that we encountered within sixty days. We had no knowledge of General Miles army until a short time before he made charge upon us, cutting our camp in two and capturing nearly all of our horses and about seventy men and myself among them were cutoff. My little daughter, twelve years old was with me .I gave her a rope and told her to catch a horse and join the others who were cutoff. From camp I have not seen her since, but I learned she is alive and well. I thought of my wife and children who were now surrounded by soldiers and I rushed to go get them or die. With a prayer in my mouth to Great Spirit Chief, who rules above. I dashed unharmed through the line of soldiers. There seem to me that there were guns on every side before and behind me. My cloths were cut to pieces and my horse was wounded but I ws unhurt, as I reached the door of my lodge my wife handed me my rifle saying heres your gun fight. The soldiers kept up a continueous fire. Six of my men were killed on the spot near me. Ten or twelve soldiers charged into our camp and got possession of two lodges killing three Nez Perces and losing three of their men who fell inside our lines. I called my men to drive them back, we foght at close range not more than twenty steps apart and drove the soldiers back upon their main line leaving their dead in our hands. We secured their arms and ammunition. We lost the first day and night, eighteen men and three women. General Miles lost twenty six and fourty wounded. The following day general Miles sent a message into my camp under protection of a white flag .I sent my friend Yellow Bull to meet him. Yellow Bull understood the messenger to say General Miles wished me to consider the situation that he did not want to kill my people unnecessarly. Yellow Bull said he understood this to be a demand for me to surrender and save bllod upon reporting this message to me. Yellow Bull said he wondered whether General Miles was in earnest. I sent him back with my answer that I made up my mind but would think about it and send word soon. A little later he sent some Cheyenne scouts with another messenger, I went out to meet them. They said they believed General Miles was sincere and really wanted peace. I walked into General Miles tent. He met me and we shook hands. He said come let us sit down by the fire and talk this matter over. I remained with him all night. Next morning Yellow Bull came over to see if I was alive and why I did not return. General Miles would not let me leave the tent to see my friend alone. Yellow Bull said they have got you in their power and Im afraid they will never let you go again. I have an officer in our camp and I will hold him until they let you go free. I said I dont know what the mean to do with me but if they kill me you must not kill the officer, it will do no good to avenge my death by killing him. Yellow Bull returned to my camp. I did not make any agreement with General Miles. The battle was renewed while I was with him. I was very anxious about my people. I knew that we were near Sitting Bulls camp in King George land and I thought maybe the Nez Perces who escaped would return with assistance. No great damage was done to each party during the night. On the following morning I returned to my camp by agreement meeting the officer who had been held a prisoner in my camp. At the flag of truce my people were divided about surrendering. We could of escaped from Bear Paw Mountain if we had left our wounded, old women and children behind. We weren't willing to do this. We have never heard of wounded Indians recovering while in the hands of whitemen. On the evening of the fourth day General Howard came with a small escort together with my friend Chapman. We could never talk undestandingly. General Miles said to me in plain words "If you will come and give up your arms I will spare your lives and send you to your reservation. " I do not know what passed between General Miles and General Howard, I could not bear to see my wounded men and women suffer any longer, we had lost enough already. General Miles had promised that we might return to our own country with what stock we had left. I thought we could start again. I believed General Miles or I never would of surrendered. I have heard that he has been censured for making a promise to return us to Lapwai. He could not have made any other terms wth me at thgat time. I would of held him in check until my friends came to my assistance and neither of the Generals nor soldiers would have left Bear Paw Mountain alive. | |
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Page 7
On the fifth day I went to General Miles and gave up my gun and said "from where the sun now stands I will fight no more" My people needed rest. We wanted peace. I was told we could go with General Miles to Tongue River and stay there til spring, when we could be sent back to our country. Finally it was decided that we were to be taken to Tongue River we had nothing to say about it. After our arrival at Tongue River, General Miles recieved orders to take us to Bismark. Reason given was that subsistence would be cheaper there. General Miles was opposed to this order. He said "You must not blame me I have endeavered to keep my word but the Chief who is over me has given the order and I must obey it or resign. That would do no good some other officer would carry out the order". I believe General Miles would of kept his word if he could have done so. I do not blame him for what we have suffered since the surrender. I do not know who is to blame. We gave up all our horses, over eleven hundred and all our saddles, over one hundred and we have not heard from them since .Somebody has got our horses. General Miles turned my people to another soldier and we were taken to Bismark. Captain Johnson ,who had no charge of us recieved and order to take us to Fort Leavenworth. At Leavenworth we were placed on a low river bottom with no water except river water to drink and cook with. We had always lived in a healthy country where the mountains were high and the water was cold and clear. Many of my people sickened and died and we buried them in a strange land. I can not tell how much my heart suffred for my people while at Leavenworth. The Great Spirit-Chief who rules above seemed to be looking some other way and did not see what was being done to my people. During the hot day July 1878 was recieved notice that we would be moved further away from our own country. We were not asked if we were willing to go. We were ordered to get into railroad cars. Three of my people died on the way to Baxter Springs. It was worse to die there than to die fighting in the mountains. We were moved from Baxter Springs, Kansas to Indian Territory and set down without our lodges, we had but little medicine and we were nearly all sick. Seventy of my people died since we moved there. We had a great many visitors who had talked many ways. Some of the Chiefs, General Fish & General Stickney, from Washington came to see us and select land for us to live upon, we have not moved to that land for it is not a good place to live. The Commissioner Chief E.A.Hoyt came to see us and told him as I told everyone that I expected General Miles word would be carried out. He siad it could not be done that white men now lived in my country and all the land was taken up. If I returned to Wallowa I could not live in peace, that law papers were out against my young men who began the war and that Government could not protect my people. This talk fell like a heavy stone upon my heart. I saw that I could not gain anything by talking to him. Other Law Chiefs, Congressional Commitee came to see me and said they would help me to get a healthy country. I did not know who to believe. The white men's people have too many Chiefs, they do not understand each other, they do not all talk alike. The Commissioner Chief Mr. Hoyt invited me to go with him and hunt for a better home than we have now. I liked the land we found west of Osage Reservation, better than any place I have seen in that country, but it is not all healthy land. There are no mountains and rivers, the water is warm, it is not good country for stock. I do not believe my people can live there. I am afraid they all will die. The Indians who occupy that country are dying off. I promise Chief Hoyt to go there and do the best I could until the Government got ready to make good General Miles word. I was not satisfied but I could not help myself. Then the Inspector Chief general McNiel came to my camp and we had a long talk. He said I ought to have a home in the mountains country north and that he would write a letter to the Great Chief in Washington. Again the hope of seeing the mountains of Idaho and Oregon grew in my heart at last. I was granted permission to come to Washington and bring my friend Yellow Bull and our interpreter with me. I am glad we came I have shaken hands with a great many friends, but there is something I want to know which no one seems to be able to explain. I cannot understand how the Government sends a man out to fight us as they did. General Miles and then breaks his word, such a Government has something wrong about it. I cannot understand why so many Chiefs are allowed to talk so many different ways and promise so many different things. I have seen the great Father Chief the President, the next Great Secretary of the Interior, the Commissioner Chief Hoyt, the Law Chief Butler and many other law Chiefs Congressmen and they all say they are my friends and that I shall have justice, but while their mouths talk right, I do not understand why nothing is being done for my people. I have heard talk and talk but nothing done. Good words don't last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people, they do not pay for my country now overrun with white men. They do not protect my fathers grave, they do not pay for all my horses and cattle. Good words will not give me back my children. War Chief General Miles good words will not get my people a home where they live in peace and care for themselves. General Miles words will not give back promises. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. | |
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| Page 8 I am tired of talk that comes from nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been to much talking by men who had no right to talk. To many misrepresention have been made, too many misunderstandings have come up between the whitemen about the Indians. If the white men wants to live in peace with the Indians he can live in peace. There need be no trouble, treat all men alike, give them the same laws, give them all even chance to live and grow. All men were made by Great Spirit Chief. They are brothers, the earth is the mother of all people and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backwards as that any man be born free should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases around us and one Government for all. The the Great Spirit Chief who rules above will smile upon this land and send rain to wash out the bloddy spots made by brothers hands from the face of the earth, for this time the Indian race are waiting and praying. I hope that no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go into the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above and that all people may be one people.
In mut too yah latat has spoken for his people. Chief Joseph ,Nez Perces' Speach given January 14th 1879
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