A CHIEF NAMED LAWYER

by Adrian Banks

"The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it." Chief Joseph, 1879

On January 14, 1879, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce gave a speech in Lincoln Hall in Washington D.C. which lasted for about two hours. This speech, in this researcher's opinion, should stand above all other speeches that have been made in the history of this nation.

What happened to the Nez Perce was commonplace among all of the Indian tribes of the 19th century. The class that was the most exploited during the development of this nation were the Indians. Their slavery at the hands of the U.S. was far worse than the negro slavery of the South in pre Civil War times. In addition to slavery and the dishonest methods employed in taking their lands, it has been estimated that around 90% of the native American population was slaughtered during the 19th century. The great American State we live in today was not "conceived in liberty," as Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg Address; it would be far more accurate to say that this nation was "conceived in blood and slavery." True, the ideal of liberty may have been embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but that is all. In the case of the Indian tribes of the 19th century, they had an inalienable right to be killed, dispossessed of their lands by U.S. coercion, herded like cattle to places foreign to them and enslaved. In order to assert my right to liberty, I claim the right to take yours away through violence and slavery! This has been the standard procedure throughout history. Power over others has always been accomplished by some form of conquest.

Chief Joseph himself had witnessed what had happened to his people during his lifetime, and when he stood in Lincoln Hall and gave his speech, his people had been killed and scattered. Their native lands were theirs no more, and what remained of his people after a malaria epidemic were in Kansas.

The lessons to be learned in Joseph's speech are really quite simple, and are very old. Just as the shrewdness of the Egyptian political authority lured the Hebrews into slavery in ancient times; so it was that the shrewdness of the U.S. political authority coerced the Indian tribes out of their lands and enslaved their people in the 19th century. Today, we find ourselves enslaved to massive and expanding social programs; and who is it that has held out the bait that the people have swallowed? Once again, it has been the shrewdness of the political authority that has subjected us to the yoke. But who make up the majority of the politicians? Most of them come from the ranks of lawyers.

In 1855, Joseph's father set his face against a treaty that would take away his people's lands. Even Joseph's father could see that the Rev. Spaulding, who had befriended the Nez Perce, had become a hypocrite and had mixed his religion with politics, for Spaulding urged Joseph's father, saying, "Come and sign the treaty." Joseph's father responded, saying, "Why do you ask me to sign away my country? It is your business to talk to us about spirit matters and not to talk with us about parting with our land."

Governor Stevens, who was the one who instigated the treaty council, further urged Joseph's father to sign the treaty, but he still refused. Joseph's father stated:

"I will not sign your paper. You go where you please, so do I. You are not a child. I am no child. I can think for myself. No man can think for me. I have no home other than this. I will not give it up to any man. My people would have no home. Take away your paper. I will not touch it with my hand."

However, eight years later, in 1863, another treaty council in which Joseph's father was not present accomplished the objective of the American State to dispossess the Nez Perce of nearly all of their lands. Joseph stated that the chief who took lead in this council was "A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great talker."

Joseph's band of the Nez Perce were not represented at the council, and yet Chief Lawyer sold their land without their consent. Joseph stated:

"The United States claimed they had bought all the Nez Perce country outside the Lapwai Reservation from Lawyer and other chiefs. But we continued to live on this land in peace until eight years ago, when white men began to come inside the boundaries my father had set.... We warned them against this great wrong, but they would not leave our land, and some bad blood was raised. The white men represented that we were going upon the warpath. They reported many things that were false.... The United States government again asked for a treaty council. My father had become blind and feeble. He could no longer speak for his people. It was then that I took my father's place as chief. In this council I made my first speech to white men.... I said to the agent who held the council: 'I did not want to come to this council, but I came hoping that we could save blood. The white man has no right to come here and take our country. We have never excepted any presents from the government. Neither Lawyer nor any other chief had authority to sell this land. It has always belonged to my people. It came unclouded to them from our fathers, and we will defend this land as long as a drop of Indian blood warms the hearts of our men.'"

Joseph reported that the President had issued orders that his people go to the Lapwai Reservation, and that the agent of the "Great White Chief in Washington" was very insistent that he sign the treaty. Joseph, after refusing to sign the treaty, stated that "The agent went away and we had peace for a little while." However, this did not change the position of the agents who represented the American State that the Nez Perce had sold their lands through the actions of Chief Lawyer. Joseph's logic on this insidious method of acquiring the property of others is simple and anyone who refutes his logic is just plain cold hearted and mean.

"In the treaty councils the commissioners have claimed that our country had been sold to the government. Suppose a white man should come to me and say, 'Joseph, I like your horses, and I want to buy them.' I say to him, 'No, my horses suit me. I will not sell them.' Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him, 'Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell.' My neighbor answers, 'Pay me the money, and I will sell you Joseph's horses.' The white man returns to me and says, 'Joseph, I have bought your horses, and you must let me have them.' If we sold our lands to the government, this is the way they were bought."

It would seem that the "Great White Chief in Washington" has not changed when it comes to getting what it wants. Chief Lawyer has sold our right to free labor to the "Great White Chief in Washington," and the Great White Chief has decided that all who labor in America will be subject to the fee for the privilege of working in the Realm, and all who labor will be assigned numbers that identify their labor and their children's as an article of commerce. Therefore, for the "Great White Chief in Washington" to maintain his power, there must always be "Chief Lawyer," who is willing to sell the liberties of other people away.

Joseph ended his speech with the following words:

"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.... When the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other, then we will have no more wars. We shall all be alike- brothers of one father and one mother, with one sky above us and one government for all.... Then the Great Spirit Chief who rules above will smile upon this land, and send rain to wash out the bloody spots made by brothers' hands from the face of the earth.... For this time the Indian race are waiting and praying.... I hope that no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.... In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat has spoken for his people."