Quotes+by+Chief+Joseph

=Quotes by Chief Joseph:=

As you can tell Chief Joseph was a peaceful man who just wanted to be friendly with the white men.
 * "I have asked some of the great white chiefs where they get their authority to say to the Indian that he shall stay in one place, while he sees white men going where they please. They cannot tell me."
 * "I clasped my father's hand and promised to do as he asked. A man who would not defend his father's grave is worse than a wild animal."
 * "I have carried a heavy load on my back ever since I was a boy. I realized then that we could not hold our own with the white men. We were like deer. They were like grizzly bears. We had small country. Their country was large. We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit Chief made them. They were not, and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit them."
 * "I am tired of fighting.... from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more."
 * "Our fathers gave us many laws, which they had learned from their fathers. These laws were good. They told us to treat all people as they treated us; that we should never be the first to break a bargain; that is was a disgrace to tell a lie; that we should speak only the truth; that it was a shame for one man to take another's wife or his property without paying for it."
 * "I am not a child, I think for myself. No man can think for me."
 * "If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them a chance to live and grow."
 * "All men were made brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born free should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases."
 * "My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more, and white men will be all around you. 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 you and your mother."

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