Memorial for Old Chief Joseph: Coping with Painful Memories Through Rituals
Many people have heard of Young Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) Indian people who said, "I will Fight No More Forever." Statue of Young Chief Joseph in Joseph, Oregon He said this after leading his people on an 1,800 mile trek through Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming after they were ordered to leave their home in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon and become permanent residents on a small reservation in Idaho. Eventually Chief Joseph had to surrender because the Nimiipuu warriors were dead, the elderly were freezing, the children were starving, and the women were alone. Old Chief Joseph was the father and namesake of Young Chief Joseph. He converted to Christianity in 1839, and tried to live in peace with white settlers who kept coming and coming from the East. He signed the treaty in 1855, that gave much land to the white people but protected Wallowa Valley as a sacred homeland for his people. After gold was found nearby, white miners and settl...