Synopses & Reviews
Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expeditions of Lewis and Clark lies another journey every bit as poignant, every bit as dramatic, and every bit as essential to an understanding of who we are as a nation -- the 1,800-mile journey made by Chief Joseph and eight hundred Nez Perce men, women, and children from their homelands in what is now eastern Oregon through the most difficult, mountainous country in western America to the high, wintry plains of Montana. There, only forty miles from the Canadian border and freedom, Chief Joseph, convinced that the wounded and elders could go no farther, walked across the snowy battlefield, handed his rifle to the U.S. military commander who had been pursuing them, and spoke his now-famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
The story has been told many times, but never before in its entirety or with such narrative richness. Drawing on four years of research, interviews, and 20,000 miles of travel, Nerburn takes us beyond the surrender to the captives' unlikely welcome in Bismarck, North Dakota, their tragic eight-year exile in Indian Territory, and their ultimate return to the Northwest. Nerburn reveals the true, complex character of Joseph, showing how the man was transformed into a myth by a public hungry for an image of the noble Indian and how Joseph exploited the myth in order to achieve his single goal of returning his people to their homeland.
Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce is far more than the story of a man and a people. It is a grand saga of a pivotal time in our nation's history. Its pages are alive with the presence of Lewis and Clark, General William Tecumseh Sherman, General George Armstrong Custer, and Sitting Bull. Its events brush against the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, the great western pioneer migration, and the building of the telegraph and the transcontinental railroad. Once you have read this groundbreaking work, you will never look at Chief Joseph, the American Indian, or our nation's westward journey in the same way again.
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“Nerburn seems to have found the real story of Chief Joseph rather than rehashing the iconic status…” The Olympian
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“With measured words and narrative power, Nerburn presents a dramatic portrait of Chief Joseph as a man of peace…” Spirituality and Health magazine
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“A must read for every instructor of American history ….” Grand Rapids Press
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“The story has been told many times but not often with as much color as Nerburn provides.” Denver Post
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“Nerburn deftly records a dark chapter of forced diaspora and forgotten promisesone as engrossing as a novel.” People
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“Nerburn…writes from the Indians perspective with insight and reverence.” Columbus Dispatch
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“Crisp, energetic account... reads like fictionalized history in the tradition of Mari Sandozs Crazy Horse.” The Oregonian (Portland)
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“A masterful job of recreating this tragic story.” National Catholic Reporter
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“[An] exceptionally fine book…” The California Literary Review
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“Innovative… an intriguing study of a man and a legend.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Nerburn has written about a man of humility and grandeur... This is storytelling with a greatness of heart.” Louise Erdrich
Synopsis
Many tales have been told of the Old West: the voyage of Lewis and Clark, the Gold Rush of 1849, and the building of the Intercontinental Railroad. But much less known is the story of Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph and his struggle to return his people to their homeland. Chief Joseph led a group of eight hundred Nez Perce men, women and children 1800 miles through difficult, wintry terrain to escape the U.S. Military. Finally, he surrendered, saying "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
Kent Nerburn examines the life and character of this complex leader and to what lengths he would go to help his people. After reading Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce, you will never look at Chief Joseph, the American Indian, or our nation's westward journey in the same way again.
Kent Nerburn holds a Ph.D. in Religion and Art. For several years he worked with the Ojibwe of northern Minnesota helping collect the memories of the tribal elders. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Letters to My Son, the award-winning Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with An Indian Elder, and Simple Truths. He is editor of Native American Wisdom, The Soul of an Indian, and The Wisdom of the Great Chiefs. Nerburn lives with his wife and son in northern Minnesota.
"The truth is powerful, and Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce gets right at truth. Nerburn has written about a man of humility and grandeur, whose patient anguish and devotion to his people should be part of our national mythos. This is storytelling with a greatness of heart." -- Louise Erdrich
--National Catholic Reporter
Synopsis
Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expeditions of Lewis and Clark and the westward-moving pioneers lies another journey every bit as poignant and essential to an understanding of who we are as a nation. Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce is a grand saga of a pivotal time in our nation's history. Its pages are alive with the presence of Lewis and Clark, General William Tecumseh Sherman, General George Armstrong Custer, and Sitting Bull. Its events brush against the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, the great western pioneer migration, and the building of the telegraph and the transcontinental railroad. But at its center lies a group of men, women, and children fleeing for their lives across the vast American West, and a man Buffalo Bill Cody called the "greatest Indian America ever produced."
Synopsis
Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expeditions of Lewis and Clark lies another journey every bit as poignant, every bit as dramatic, and every bit as essential to an understanding of who we are as a nation -- the 1,800-mile journey made by Chief Joseph and eight hundred Nez Perce men, women, and children from their homelands in what is now eastern Oregon through the most difficult, mountainous country in western America to the high, wintry plains of Montana. There, only forty miles from the Canadian border and freedom, Chief Joseph, convinced that the wounded and elders could go no farther, walked across the snowy battlefield, handed his rifle to the U.S. military commander who had been pursuing them, and spoke his now-famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
The story has been told many times, but never before in its entirety or with such narrative richness. Drawing on four years of research, interviews, and 20,000 miles of travel, Nerburn takes us beyond the surrender to the captives' unlikely welcome in Bisma to re-examine our everyday relationship with the natural world, and one another.
About the Author
Kent Nerburn has been widely praised as one of the few writers who can respectfully bridge the gap between native and nonnative cultures. His book Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder won the 1995 Minnesota Book Award.