Our chiefs are killed. . . . The little children are freezing to death. . . . My people have no blankets, no food. . . . My heart is sick and sad. . . . I will fight no more forever.
Interpretation
This quote expresses profound sorrow and a sense of defeat in the face of injustice faced by one's people.
Chief Joseph's words convey the deep anguish and despair felt by a leader witnessing the suffering of his people, particularly the vulnerability of children. The quote reflects a moment of resignation after a long struggle, highlighting the impact of loss, hardship, and the futility of continued conflict when basic human needs are unmet.
In practice
During a speech about social justice and native rights.
We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. We do not want to learn that.
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, think and act for myself β and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty.
It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.
Any time I saw people treated unfairly because of race, creed, whatever - it struck a nerve.
For some, the fear of coming out is so great, they can continue to live an inauthentic life. But at a certain point, the pain becomes too much to bear. For me, having one more day pass by where I wasn't living my true self seemed like such a wasted opportunity, such a wasted life.
Through the centuries, we faced down death by daring to hope.
I feel lucky that I found my talent, not unlucky that I was born with a disability. When I'm on a horse, I'm more worried about what the riding hat is doing to my hair than what my bent legs and arms are doing. What riding has given me is respect.
I had insecurities and fears like everybody does, and I got over it. But I was interested in the parts of me that struggled with those things.
The strength to kill is not essential for self-defence; one ought to have the strength to die.
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