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Spartan Surfers

1840-1904

Chief Joseph

Leader of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce, known in his own language as Thunder Traveling over the Mountains. After the war of 1877 he told his people's story in the North American Review (1879) and spent his life asking for their return home.

11 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. It does not take many words to speak the truth.

    Joseph opens his account by contrasting the white man's many words with his own plain ones. The truth does not need padding; long explanations are often a sign that something is being hidden. Say it straight and short.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  2. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something.

    After years of promises from Washington that came to nothing, Joseph judges words by what follows them. A promise is worth only the action behind it. Make fewer promises and keep all of them.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  3. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing.

    Joseph says it of politicians who all called themselves his friends. Endless meetings and kind speeches without results wear people out. Be the one who turns talk into action.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  4. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.

    Joseph surrendered at Bear Paw in 1877 to save his wounded and starving people. Knowing when to stop fighting, for the sake of others, is its own kind of courage. Some battles are won by ending them.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  5. Respect the brave. Love a straight tongue.

    Joseph sums up his people's code in two pairs: courage over cowardice, honesty over double talk. Those two qualities decide whether anyone can trust you. Be brave and say what you mean.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  6. Let me be free to think and talk and act for myself.

    Joseph asks for nothing more than ordinary freedom, and promises to obey every law in return. Freedom of thought, speech and action is what makes a person a person. Protect it in yourself, and do not take it from others.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  7. Never be the first to break a bargain.

    Joseph lists the laws his fathers handed down, and this one comes first among them. If a deal breaks, make sure it was not you who broke it. Your word is the one thing no one else can take from you.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  8. Tie a horse to a stake and it will not grow fat.

    Joseph uses the image to explain why his people were dying on the reservation. Living things need room to roam to thrive. If you feel staked down, find a way to move; if you manage people, do not tie them up.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  9. No man can think for me.

    Joseph's father said it while refusing to sign away his land. Nobody else gets to do your thinking: not the crowd, not the official, not the salesman. Listen to everyone, then decide for yourself.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  10. The earth is the mother of all people.

    Joseph argues that because all people come from the same earth and the same Creator, no one has the right to pen others in. It is a call for fairness rooted in kinship. Treat every person as family of the same mother.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)

  11. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law.

    Joseph asks for one law and one fair chance for everyone. Equal treatment is the simplest way to peace. Apply the same rules to yourself that you apply to others.

    "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs", North American Review (1879), Original English (North American Review 128, April 1879)