Old Chief Joseph

Old Chief Joseph (Nez Percé/Nimiipuu leader, c. 1785/1790-1871)

“They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father’s body. Never sell the bones of your father and your mother.”

  • A quote from Old Chief Joseph, recorded by his son, Chief Joseph
    (aka Young Joseph, c. 1840-1904) in Chief Joseph’s Own Story (paragraph 16), originally published in 1879; republished with an introduction by Bishop W. H. Hare and General Howard’s Comment in The North American Review (1879). Reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, 2010.

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