Chief Joseph stood for a natural connection to his peoples’ land. “The Earth and myself are of one mind,” expresses his spirituality. At treaty councils he often recalled his people’s assistance to the Lewis and Clark expedition and simply requested justice: “We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. We ask that the same law shall work alike on all men.” The Nez Perce or Nimíipuu are still working to regain lands reserved in their 1855 Treaty.

Nez Perce National Historical Park, spanning 4 states, preserves the story of the Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce people, including the Flight of 1877, when, after the discovery of gold within the boundaries of their reservation, the Nez Perce refused to sign the 1863 Treaty, which would have shrunk their reservation by 90%. Distrust between the Nimiipuu and the U.S. broke out into violence, just one of the more than 1,500 armed conflicts fought during the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century.