Conflict and Relocation of the Nez Perce Indian Tribe
The conflict with, and eventual removal and relocation of the Nez Perce by the US government during westward expansion, damaged native American culture by forcing Natives from their ancestral lands that once held their heritage for hundreds of years. Manifest Destiny, meaning the West and other parts of the North American continent would justifiably and inevitably belong to the US, became a term commonly used as pioneers began westward expansion in the US. Many pioneers believed it was under Gods will that the US would rightfully own the West. Conflict came about as racial and cultural tensions became more apparent as settlers moved into Indian territory. White settlers, ethnocentrically, …show more content…
Chief Joseph exclaimed, “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 the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers” (Gale). In 1863, another treaty was enacted upon the Nez Perce in an unfair manner. This treaty went by the name of The Lapwai Treaty. The treaty was passed after US government officials secretively negotiated and convinced certain bands of Nez Perce to agree to the treaty behind other bands of Nez Perce’s backs. The Nez Perce land was shrunk by 95% under the treaty. US officials only spoke with bands of Nez Perce who had become rooted in agriculture to where the treaty would not effect them. Chief Joseph was never aware of the negotiations due to the fact that he lived more primitively and stuck to his ancestral ways of migrating during the changing seasons. The bands of Nez Perce that did not agree with the treaty were able to reside on the lands that were originally theirs for a few more years until the demand for settlement and mining became so high that the Indians were forced to move onto the very small Lapwai reservation. Led by General Oliver O. Howard, the Indian Bureu, required that the Non-Treaty Nez Perce have 30 days to round up their belongings and move onto the reservation (Cozzens). Many of the Non-Treaty Nez Perce had large numbers of cattle that would be impossible to round up in less than 30 days so Chief Joseph requested a longer grace period, but the government would not oblige. The Non-Treaty bands abided by the orders but on their way back murdered 17 white settlers, getting revenge on them for past actions those settlers had done to the tribes
The conflict with, and eventual removal and relocation of the Nez Perce by the US government during westward expansion, damaged native American culture by forcing Natives from their ancestral lands that once held their heritage for hundreds of years. Manifest Destiny, meaning the West and other parts of the North American continent would justifiably and inevitably belong to the US, became a term commonly used as pioneers began westward expansion in the US. Many pioneers believed it was under Gods will that the US would rightfully own the West. Conflict came about as racial and cultural tensions became more apparent as settlers moved into Indian territory. White settlers, ethnocentrically, …show more content…
Chief Joseph exclaimed, “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 the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers” (Gale). In 1863, another treaty was enacted upon the Nez Perce in an unfair manner. This treaty went by the name of The Lapwai Treaty. The treaty was passed after US government officials secretively negotiated and convinced certain bands of Nez Perce to agree to the treaty behind other bands of Nez Perce’s backs. The Nez Perce land was shrunk by 95% under the treaty. US officials only spoke with bands of Nez Perce who had become rooted in agriculture to where the treaty would not effect them. Chief Joseph was never aware of the negotiations due to the fact that he lived more primitively and stuck to his ancestral ways of migrating during the changing seasons. The bands of Nez Perce that did not agree with the treaty were able to reside on the lands that were originally theirs for a few more years until the demand for settlement and mining became so high that the Indians were forced to move onto the very small Lapwai reservation. Led by General Oliver O. Howard, the Indian Bureu, required that the Non-Treaty Nez Perce have 30 days to round up their belongings and move onto the reservation (Cozzens). Many of the Non-Treaty Nez Perce had large numbers of cattle that would be impossible to round up in less than 30 days so Chief Joseph requested a longer grace period, but the government would not oblige. The Non-Treaty bands abided by the orders but on their way back murdered 17 white settlers, getting revenge on them for past actions those settlers had done to the tribes