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Chief Joseph's Sonnet From where the sun now stands, I'll fight no more My people tire of battle without cease We do not worship white man's god of war The old ones sigh, they long for days of peace You've made a hundred vows, you've kept but few You took our land and fed the grass with blood You tell us we must change from ways we knew Your greed is like the plague beyond the flood We can no longer hunt the hills of old Nor search for fish in sparkling silver streams You've scarred our mountains searching for your gold Clear water flows now only in our dreams We wish to end our time like all men, free Long knives, white eyes, only let us be |
Additional Notes:
Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce Indians during their last battle with the US Cavalry in 1877.
After almost a month of running and fighting, Joseph and his people were blocked from escape to Canada by General Nelson Miles -"Bear Coat" to the Indians. Joseph finally surrendered with the words that reverberate in the history of the Native American People - "From where the sun now stands, I'll fight no more!"
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