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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.

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
Many
Territory
Great
Washington
Stevens
Would
Indian
Isaac
Men
Land
Marked
People
White
Indians
Wanted
Governor
Come
Separated
Country
Governors

More quotes by Chief Joseph

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Big name often stands on small legs.
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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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It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
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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.
Chief Joseph
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It takes few words to tell the truth.
Chief Joseph
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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.
Chief Joseph
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I will speak with a straight tongue.
Chief Joseph
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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.
Chief Joseph
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Finest fur may cover toughest meat.
Chief Joseph
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My father... had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
Chief Joseph
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I believe much trouble would be saved if we opened our hearts more.
Chief Joseph
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When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
Chief Joseph
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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.
Chief Joseph
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I did not want my people killed. I did not want bloodshed.
Chief Joseph
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I labored hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed.
Chief Joseph
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Our fathers gave us many laws which they had learned from their fathers. These laws were good.
Chief Joseph
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I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.
Chief Joseph
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The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.
Chief Joseph
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You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.
Chief Joseph
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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.
Chief Joseph