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Chief Joseph

Chief Joseph was of the Nez Perce tribe in the Plateau region, and he lived from 1840 to 1904.

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Photo of Joseph taken in November 1877 by O.S. Goff in Bismarck.

Chief Joseph was a leader of the Nez Perce tribe which fought against the United States government that was taking over their land in Oregon. Chief Joseph tried to be a peacemaker. He is known for his belief in and honor of the land. "The earth is our Mother. She should not be disturbed by hoe or plough. We should let things remain as the Great Spirit made them."

 Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Chief Joseph at the Nez Percé Lapwai Reservation in Idaho, where Fletcher arrived in 1889 to implement the Dawes Act. The man on one knee is James Stuart, Alice Fletcher's interpreter.