Assertion Analysis #6- Chief Joseph
Throughout history we've seen that the harmonious established society of Native Americans has been seized from them. The place they call home and all the attributes that make something feel like him was stolen from them. Their culture, their customs, all brutally taken away. What and who caused this much damage? The English and their need for more, their greed and hunger for power. They felt the need to establish never ending dominance onto such humble people, that same greed and want for power caused not only trauma but deaths by the masses, deaths of Native Americans. Chief Joseph, or in his tribe name, Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain, thought that enough was enough. He had enough of the battles that came one after another, and all the deaths and trauma that his people had to endure, he was done losing his people. He would surrender than loose more of his people in the long run.
On October 5th 1877, Chief Joseph decides to surrender and writes a speech to General Howard regarding his hurt and sadness for the past happening events. He commences his speech with "I am tired of fighting." Very simple but with such an enormous effect considering why the speech was written in the first place. In that one sentence you can instantly feel all the sadness and anger within Cheif Joseph. He uses the word "dead" after most of the sentences in the excerpt and indicates how his tribe and the people in it have demised. Throughout the excerpt of the surrender speech, death is the one topic that is the most common which makes you think about all the damage the English imposed upon this group of people. He talks about how a percentage of his people have run away with their families in hopes to escape the merciless, abominable circumstances they were in and end up dying while trying to survive without the necessary supplies. Chief Joseph states " I am tired; my heart is sick and sad" which conveys his feeling of sorrow and despondency. In the image shown below the surrender speech is Cheif Joseph surrounded be people of husband tribe and a single horse, he has a rifle in his hand, almost as if he was giving it up, his face is inconsolable. When he lost part of his tribe to the English he didn't only loose a part of a culture but a part of himself.
Chief Joseph was willing to surrender and loose the land of his people to save his own and prevent any more damage. This goes to show the immense impact the English had or has on the Natives. All the years and events that caused anguish and heartache within the Native community is still very much present. Because of their hospitality and peaceful manner, Natives were seen as vulnerable and were taken advantage of not knowing any better. They were stripped down of what made them a person and were oppressed by the whites. Chief Joseph was tired of fighting for something they shouldn't be fighting for in the first place, they were fighting for what was already theirs, for what they already called home.
On October 5th 1877, Chief Joseph decides to surrender and writes a speech to General Howard regarding his hurt and sadness for the past happening events. He commences his speech with "I am tired of fighting." Very simple but with such an enormous effect considering why the speech was written in the first place. In that one sentence you can instantly feel all the sadness and anger within Cheif Joseph. He uses the word "dead" after most of the sentences in the excerpt and indicates how his tribe and the people in it have demised. Throughout the excerpt of the surrender speech, death is the one topic that is the most common which makes you think about all the damage the English imposed upon this group of people. He talks about how a percentage of his people have run away with their families in hopes to escape the merciless, abominable circumstances they were in and end up dying while trying to survive without the necessary supplies. Chief Joseph states " I am tired; my heart is sick and sad" which conveys his feeling of sorrow and despondency. In the image shown below the surrender speech is Cheif Joseph surrounded be people of husband tribe and a single horse, he has a rifle in his hand, almost as if he was giving it up, his face is inconsolable. When he lost part of his tribe to the English he didn't only loose a part of a culture but a part of himself.
Chief Joseph was willing to surrender and loose the land of his people to save his own and prevent any more damage. This goes to show the immense impact the English had or has on the Natives. All the years and events that caused anguish and heartache within the Native community is still very much present. Because of their hospitality and peaceful manner, Natives were seen as vulnerable and were taken advantage of not knowing any better. They were stripped down of what made them a person and were oppressed by the whites. Chief Joseph was tired of fighting for something they shouldn't be fighting for in the first place, they were fighting for what was already theirs, for what they already called home.
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