Pendleton Chief Joseph King Blanket - Green
 |
Pendleton Chief Joseph King - Green-Free Shipping! | |||||||||||
Related Item(s)
| ||||||||||||
|
The Pendleton Chief Joseph blanket is one of Pendleton's earliest and most enduring blanket patterns. The blanket honors the life of Chief Joseph the famous chief of the Nez Perce Tribe in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon.
| ||||||||||||
Chief Joseph was given the name Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, or Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain, but was widely known as Joseph, because his father had taken the Christian name Joseph when he was baptized by Christian missionaries in 1838.
Chief Joseph is most well know for leading his people from Oregon through Idaho and into Montana with 2,000 US Calvary in pursuit. Young warriors had raided several farms and killed a few settlers after being enraged with the continual settlement of people in what was supposed to have been the Nez Perce reservation. The actions of the young warriors caused the US Calvary to pursue any of the tribe that had not moved to the reservation. During the retreat the 700 people, only of which 200 were warriors fought 4 major battles and innumerous skirmishes against the 2,000 strong US Calvary. His leadership of his people during these 3 months led many to call him respectfully " The Red Napoleon".
Chief Joseph is also well known for the following statement during his surrender:
"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, "Yes" or "No." He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are -- perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. 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."
To learn more about Chief Joseph and his People: click here!
