From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. |
Hinmatoowyalahtq'it, famously known as Chief Joseph was born on 1840 in Wallowa Valley in present day Oregon to as the son of the chief of his Nez Perce tribe. Following his election of chief, his tribe though purely peaceful, was forced to relocate off their ancestral lands and move to a reservation. However, war broke out with the inevitable loss from the Nez Perce, but not after one of the greatest retreats in U.S. military. |
The Nez Perce were excellent horse breeders. Their horse, the Appaloosa, was a fine breed that in the words of Meriweather Lewis, "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race, they are lofty, elegantly formed, active and durable; in short many of them look like fine English coursers and would make a figure in any country". Along with their horses, the Nez Perce were very kind to the early white settlers and explorers that passed through their lands.