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I pressed my father's hand and told him I would protect his grave with my life. My father smiled and passed away to the spirit land.

Chief Joseph

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Chief Joseph
Age: 64 †
Born: 1840
Born: March 3
Died: 1904
Died: September 21
Tribal Chief
Wallowa Valley
Joseph Buruzagia
Hin-mut-too-uah-lat-kekht
Thunder Rolling in the Mountains
Heinmot Tooyalaket
Joseph the Younger
Spirit
Dad
Hands
Tears
Would
Protect
Life
Told
Pressed
Land
Smiled
Hand
Grave
Father
Graves
Away
Passed

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We damaged all the big guns we could, and carried away the powder and the lead.
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From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.
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The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.
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An Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a coward.
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I know that my race must change.
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It takes few words to tell the truth.
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I labored hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed.
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You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.
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I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
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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.
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It does not require many words to speak the truth.
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When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
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I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
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Let me be a free man - free to travel, free to stop, free to work.
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The Indian race is waiting and praying.
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Good words will not give me back my children.
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Lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa country.
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We had a great many horses, of which we gave Lewis and Clark what they needed, and they gave us guns and tobacco in return.
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We gave up some of our country to the white men, thinking that then we could have peace. We were mistaken. The white man would not let us alone.
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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.
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