Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

Travis here, and before we get started I wanted to say something brief upfront. November in the United States is usually focused on Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah or any other winter festivities. However, there is one rather unsung day in November that we as Americans are hopefully growing more conscious of and involved with. This year it falls on the sixth, its Election Day. On this day we as Americans voice our right to decide our governmental representatives. Our vote may not always go to the winner but the important point is that every American should be free to cast their vote on who they want to govern us for the upcoming years. In practice, this is not the case. There are countless American's who have been denied a voice in choosing our government officials. I say all of this in the hopes that anyone reading who has not yet voted will be persuaded to do so but also because this very right that Americans have carries great significance in this month's subject. We are going to be talking about Cheif Joseph of the Nez Perce. An American legend whose actions and tremendous character deserve him a more notable spot in American history. Chief Joseph lead a band of Nez Perce people in the Wallowa Valley of eastern Oregon. His people's land and their way of life were encroached upon unlawfully for years by white settlers and despite this, he maintained a diplomatic and peaceful approach to resolving these problems up until it was no longer possible to do so. We hope you gain an appreciation for his story and a desire to learn more about Cheif Joseph and the history of the American federal government's interactions with Native American tribes. Thanks again for listening.