About book Chief Joseph & The Flight Of The Nez Perce: The Untold Story Of An American Tragedy (2006)
kent nerburn's chief joseph & the flight of the nez perce is an engaging chronicle of the infamous 1877 ordeal endured by the nez perce people. this tragic tale follows an 800-member faction of the pacific northwest tribe driven from their longtime ancestral lands in eastern oregon and their ensuing retreat of nearly 1,200 miles (across parts of four states) while battling hostile army forces. the nez perce were able to effectively outfight and outmaneuver some 2,000 soldiers for five months through unforgiving climate and terrain but, following surrender, were ultimately exiled from their home region for the next eight years. nerburn's book affords chief joseph his proper context within the tribe, rather than the sensationalized and often misrepresented role he played during the tribe's epic flight.nerburn's narrative style allows for a continuity in storytelling that greatly enriches this already compelling tale. conveying the inconceivable hardships and myriad sorrows of their journey, nerburn is able to vividly illustrate the lasting heartbreak that accompanied so many duplicities and betrayals imposed upon the nez perce people. chief joseph & the flight of the nez perce is a well-researched, meticulously composed biography of a brave people, a stalwart leader, and a defining, however shameful, moment in american history. 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.
I like Western Stuff. I like Roy Roger's cowboy films and the Calico mine ride at Knott's Berry Farm. I like listening to 1960's country music and the bronze sculptures of Frederic Remington. In other words I like the fake West, the Wild West of movies and romantic nostalgia. Kent Nerburn's chronicle of the disenfranchisement of the Nez Perce and the subsequent ethnic cleansing of this indigenous people group from their traditional tribal lands was a very difficult read. I had heard of Chief Joseph and associated him with his "I will fight no more forever" speech, but that was about it. I had never heard of the Nez Perce before and had no idea that Chief Joseph was a member of that tribe. In reading Nerburn's "Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce" I was able to learn about this resilient people group from their first contact with Lewis & Clarke, to the missionary period, through the escalating conflicts with European American settlers and gold miners. In finishing the book, I had the same feeling of sadness I had when I read Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee." Sometimes it is good to be reminded of the true history of our country and mourn the injustice done in the name of "progress."
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Author, sculptor, theologian, and educator, http://kentnerburn.com/ Kent Nerburn's biography begins with Lewis and Clark's encounter with the Nez Perce tribes and then details the experiences of Chief Joseph. This biography follows current historical thought that Joseph was not a war leader, but rather tried to serve as a protector of his people. A great historical read while spending the summer in western Montana, this book details events of the Nez Perce's brief 1877 resistance, their long, torturous journey from Wallowa Valley, OR to almost reach Canada, and covers their tragic experiences following surrender. (lj)
—Annette
There is a series on television entitled "American Greed" in my opinion, there is no stronger illustration of American Green than the greedy acquisition of the homeland of the people indigenous to the American continent, by our predecessors. Kent Nerburn's telling of this story is heartbreaking. His story is of the families that made up the Nez Perce Nation; it is a story of husbands and wives and their children, no different in love and affection than what I have for my family. Mostly it is a story of a true, yet often unrecognized, leader in Chief Joseph, a leader who again and again placed his trust in a people and a government that kept only one promise, "We will take your land."
—Gerald
It's a sad and tragic tale from an era with plenty of such tales. But the long flight and battles with the Army make it a poignant story especially considering that the people were travelling with infants and the elderly. I was impressed by Joseph's constant commitment to the well-being of his people, especially those that were most vulnerable. Besides physical battles, there were spiritual battles among the tribe as Christianity and the old ways clashed. Truly, it was a war for the Nez Perce's soul.
—Brian Morris
