Chief Joseph
Hinmatoowyalahtqit (pronounced In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat)
name meaning - thunder rolling down the mountain
March 3rd 1840 - September 21st 1904
On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph surrendered in the Bears Paw Mountains of Montana. Chief Joseph took the name of his father, (Old) Chief Joseph, or Joseph the Elder. When his father died in 1871, he became the successor. He continued his father’s efforts to secure the Nez Percé claim to their land while remaining peaceful towards the whites. In 1873, Chief Joseph negotiated with the federal government to ensure that his people could stay on their land in the Wallowa Valley as stipulated in 1855 land treaties with the U.S. government. But, in a reversal of policy in 1877, General Oliver Otis Howard threatened to attack if the Indians did not relocate to an Idaho reservation. Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed. He led a band of about 700 Nez Percé Indians—fewer than 200 of whom were warriors, towards freedom—nearly reaching the Canadian border. For over three months, the nez percé had outmaneuvered and battled their pursuers traveling some 1,000 miles across Oregon Washington Idaho and Montana. By the time Chief Joseph surrendered, more than 200 of his followers had died.
Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech - October 5th, 1877
"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
What does the word successor mean in paragraph 1?
A switch
B colleague
C exchange
D descendant