Army soldiers line up to board a C-130 aircraft.

NEWS

Building our nation

  • Published
  • By Rex Jones
  • 21st Space Wing Equal Opportunity
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  What's the only group of people specifically identified in the Constitution of the United States? If you answered Native Americans, you would be correct. Native Americans hold this distinction not as a matter of race, but because Native American tribes are considered sovereign nations. This is a little known fact about a group of Americans that literally "planted the seeds of life" and helped build this great nation we call the United States of America.

November is Native American Heritage Month. In that honor, this article reflects research I conducted about a specific tribe while stationed in Washington State, their fight for freedom, and their quest for equal opportunity.

Chief Joseph is a name that many of us are probably familiar with; however, how much do you really know about his life? I will attempt to provide a small peek into this great warrior's existence. Like Chief Joseph, most warriors prided themselves in how they lived, on their bravery and on their abilities as speech makers - although many were familiar with written words (in a hieroglyphically sense) they placed more value in the spoken word. They believed the spoken language could last forever if passed down through people's memories in purity. In tribal conferences, every man of valor and responsibility was given a chance to express himself. Each generally took his time in speaking, used many gestures and sought approval of every important phrase. They clearly understood that words needed to be used wisely or else there was a potential for the words to cause more harm than any weapon of war.

Chief Joseph was head of a small band in what is now eastern Oregon and Washington called Nez Perce ("Pierced Noses") by French traders. Initially, the Nez Perce lived in peace with white settlers, but the great influx of new residents overwhelmed the original inhabitants. Efforts were made to remove the Nez Perce from their land and confine them to reservation life. In 1877, Chief Joseph led a small band escape attempt to Canada and freedom. Their 11-week flight covered 1,600 miles through the rugged Northwest country. During their trek, the Nez Perce engaged the U.S. Army in 10 different skirmishes. In almost every case, Chief Joseph and his band either defeated the Army or fought them to a standstill. His superb maneuvering found him barely 30 miles from the Canadian border when weather conditions became so severe he was forced to surrender. His exploits were covered by journalists and captured the heart of the nation. He was allowed to travel to Washington D.C. to address a large gathering of cabinet members, congressmen and diplomats to plead for relief for his people. This is an excerpt of what he said:

"Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake. I will tell you all about our people, and then you can judge whether an Indian is a man or not. I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we open our hearts more I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things ... Our fathers gave us many laws, which they learned from their fathers. These laws are good. They told us to treat all men as they treated us; that we should never be first to break a bargain; that it was a disgrace to tell a lie; that we should speak only the truth, that it was a shame for one man to take from another his wife, or property without paying for it. A number of white people came into our country and built houses and made farms. At first our people made no complaint. They thought there was room enough for all to live in peace, and we were learning many things from the white man that seemed to be good. But soon we found that the white men were growing rich very fast, and were greedy to posses everything the Indian had. My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white men, and he warned his tribe to be careful about trading with them. He had suspicion of men who seemed anxious to make money. I was a boy then, but I remember well my father's caution. He had sharper eyes than the rest of our people. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contained when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases ... Let me be a free man -- free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk and think and act for myself -- and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty."

Like Chief Joseph, most people place a great deal of respect and honor in their history. Through the celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we can pass on this history and learn about the culture of the people that "helped build a nation."