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

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
Band
Without
Country
Right
Acted
Lawyer
Sell
Sells
Authority

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I am tired of talk that comes to nothing.
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Good words will not give me back my children.
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A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal.
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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.
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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.
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Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.
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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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From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.
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I only ask of the Government to be treated as all other men are treated. If I cannot go to my own home, let me have a home in a country where my people will not die so fast.
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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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My father... had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
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It does not require many words to speak the truth.
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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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It takes few words to tell the truth.
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The earth is our mother. She should not be disturbed by hoe or plough. We want only to subsist on what she freely gives us.
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I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.
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The Indian race is waiting and praying.
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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.
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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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My people were divided about surrendering.
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