Journal of Cortez Modrables

May 7, 1877

The council resumed today. This is what happened:

All the non-treaty Nez Perce bands prepared a fine parade around the big tent on the Fort Lapwai parade ground. We ended the parade by singing an Indian song of high-pitched trills.

The lead men then filed into the tent area, with Joseph taking the most important position on a low bench. Ollokot, his brother, half reclined in front of him. White Bird sat on the grass behind Joseph and I sat nearly behind White Bird with the other leaders of the various bands.

Cortez sat in the council wondering what would happen on this day. The meeting on Friday had resulted in nothing. There was no showing of good will or willingness to negotiate made by either General Howard or Agent Monteith. The chiefs were still hoping to make some kind of compromise, as is usually the case at their traditional councils. The appointed seating insulted the Indian tradition of a circle, where all participants are equal in status. Even more insulting was that General Howard and Agent Monteith sat in chairs behind a table, while all the chiefs were seated on a row of benches, or even on the ground, facing the government men. The general and agent clearly wanted to show their authority. Several white women were seated in chairs along the perimeter of the tent, along with some uniformed officers.

White Bird didn’t remove his fine, broad-brimmed hat for this council meeting. As a Dreamer, he held a white eagle wing in his left hand so that it partially covered his face. Although White Bird was the eldest chief, he allowed Joseph to take a more prominent position. White Bird and the other non-treaty chiefs did this because Joseph and Ollokot had been the ones to request this council with General Howard. Joseph’s band in the Wallowa, Grande Ronde, and Imnaha valleys had the biggest issue, in having to give up their immense homeland to move within the 1863 reservation boundaries.

When all were seated and ready to start the talks, a Reservation Nez Perce came to stand in front of all. He spoke an opening Christian prayer in Sahaptin. Joseph, Ollokot, White Bird, and Toohoolhoolzote did not seem to participate. Cortez saw General Howard watching them closely through squinted eyes. The one-armed general was known to be a very devout Christian.

Agent Monteith then stood to read the letter of instructions that he had received from the government in Washington. After the translation, he patiently explained the instructions, which told all the Nez Perce bands now living outside the Lapwai Reservation that they must move immediately onto that reservation.

General Howard stood to confirm the statements of the Indian Agent and went on to state the army’s position, emphasizing that he would order troops to enforce the government orders.

Joseph stood to introduce White Bird and to present Toohoolhoolzote as the chief who would speak for the non-treaty bands. Cortez watched a scowl grow on General Howard’s face, despite his full beard. The General evidently either knew or knew of the Pikunan chief.

Toohoolhoolzote stood to speak in Sahaptin, accompanied by signs that required wide arm room. Cortez thought that General Howard and the others would have little trouble understanding the old chief’s position with or without the interpreter’s explanation. Speaking in his gruff, but clear voice, Toohoolhoolzote looked directly at the General. “You treat us chiefs as if we were children who must be cared for and told what to do. We say that we will care for ourselves. We want only to stay on our lands and to be left alone. The Creator put each band on lands where there was plenty for its people. We do not need the poor food that this Washington would give us. Who is, or what is, this Washington that you and the agent speak of? Is Washington a man, or a house, or a place? I say leave this Washington in its place. He or it makes no sense. Washington has not been to our lands. Washington doesn’t know the Real People, the Ni-mi-pu. You, General Howard, show the rifle when you talk of sending soldiers to drive us off our lands. Where are these soldiers who would frighten a Nez Perce warrior? I have seen your soldiers. They are boys who would run and hide when a warrior makes his battle cry.”

Howard was obviously becoming irritated with Toohoolhoolzote, and the Ni-mi-pu warriors were getting restless with excitement as the powerful speaker expressed his defiance.

Interrupting Toohoolhoolzote’s oratory, a new chief, followed by many warriors, entered the tent to sit at the council. He was the young Husishusis Kute, chief of the small Palouse band. His unexpected appearance seemed to make General Howard scowl even more through his beard. The additional warriors and their strong chief obviously gave the general more to feel uneasy about.

Also, a messenger arrived to speak with Joseph. The Ni-mi-pu learned from him that soldiers had already entered the Grande Ronde Valley and were headed for the Wallowa Valley. This news appeared to take away the Wallowa Wallamwatkin option of going home.

Agent Monteith again tried to explain what the government required of the non-treaty bands, saying that the government would not interfere with the Nez Perce religious practices except when a tiwet preaches Dreamer disobedience. This made Cortez wonder how much Agent Monteith and General Howard actually knew about Dreamers and their beliefs. Didn’t they understand that Dreamers weren’t sorcerers or evil people just because they had visited the spirit world?

Toohoolhoolzote began again to speak for the non-treaty chiefs, repeating his belief that the earth was as his mother. “Chieftainship of the earth means to care for it, because the earth is mother to all. The earth cannot be divided and sold no more than a mother can be divided. Our mother, the earth, provides for all of the people’s needs. Should we then disgrace her by cutting her hair or gouging her flesh? I challenge you, Monteith and Howard, to speak the truth about chieftainship of our mother the earth.”

General Howard face showed increasing frustration with Toohoolhoolzote. He repeated that he and the Indian Agent represented the U.S. government, and that the government would not interfere with Indian religious practices. He then went on to state, “And I don’t want to hear any more about chieftainship of the earth.”

Cortez didn’t think that Howard understood or wanted to understand the Dreamer concept of “chieftainship of the earth.”

Toohoolhoolzote was insulted by Howard’s interruption and the subsequent dismissal of his statements. Council etiquette was not being observed by the general.

The non-treaty chief would no longer be quieted, and his insolence toward Howard and Monteith was obviously growing. “Who is this person who will tell me what to do? Who is this man who will not talk of chieftainship and will divide the land and put me on land where I do not want to be?”

General Howard loudly met the chief’s challenge: “I am that man who will put you on that land!”

Toohoolhoolzote had reached a furious rage. “I’m chief on my land!” he shouted. “No one can come to this land and tell me what I can and cannot do. You! You! General Howard—you go back to your own country. You tell your people that you are chief in that land! You tell Washington that Toohoolhoolzote is chief in the land of the Pikunans.”

Cortez and all the others sensed the anger as it sparked throughout the council tent like lightning on a ridge crest before a thunderstorm.

Howard’s full voice thundered. “My orders are plain, and they will be carried out! You will go onto the reservation land or I will send soldiers to put you there!” General Howard obviously had lost all patience.

Toohoolhoolzote was boiling with anger. “I am a man!” he shouted. Using the obvious sign for male—his clenched fist with his index finger pointed upward and outward from his crotch. “I have a prick! You will not tell me what I must do!”

Offended by the chief’s vulgarity (ladies were still present), Howard flew into uncontrollable anger. The one-armed general and one of the officers grabbed Toohoolhoolzote by the arms, knocking him backward over Cortez and another warrior as they did so. “You, old man, are going to the skookum house and then to Indian Territory,” Howard yelled as the two soldiers shoved Toohoolhoolzote outside to a waiting guard.

“Cut Arm has shown the rifle again,” the furious Pikunan warriors yelled at the other chiefs. “He has put Toohoolhoolzote in the house where bad men are kept. Howard has shown the rifle, while we Ni-mi-pu have left all our weapons in the lodges. This army man is not a man of honor. He has again and again insulted you the chiefs. War should start. There should be no more talking. This is a false council.”

“No, there should be no war,” both White Bird and Joseph responded. They knew the consequences of fighting the army. Today the Ni-mi-pu warriors could fight the soldiers, but more soldiers would come, and then more after that. There would be no winning. The soldiers do not fight with honor and then leave. The warriors might fight with honor, but the people will still be forced to live here on the Lapwai Reservation.”

The warriors listened to the chiefs, but anger still smoldered in their eyes as Toohoolhoolzote was marched to the fort’s jail.

When General Howard returned, he proposed that White Bird, Joseph, and Looking Glass should accompany him the next day to look at land on the Lapwai Reservation. “You may choose the land that pleases you. There are many good places for each band to move to.”

Seeing the unwillingness of General Howard and the Indian Agent to make any sort of compromise that would better suit them, the chiefs agreed to go see the lands.

Journal of Cortez Modrables

May 8, 1877

White Bird, Joseph, and Looking Glass rode out with General Howard and an interpreter to look at reservation land.

Around each campfire, young and old warriors alike talked of fighting the army, but they waited for their chiefs to return. I reminded them that this meeting was requested by the chiefs and it was agreed that the non-treaty bands would not show-the rifle. “There will always be a chance for war. This council was requested for peace.”

Each day the chiefs were out with the agent and General Howard looking at lands for the non-treaty bands to claim for their future homes—perhaps for generations. Joseph’s Wallowa band found very agreeable farm land up Lapwai Creek to the south of the agency, but they learned that two white settlers with families had trespassed and squatted on parts of it. They could be moved off, but Joseph was not in favor of doing that. Also, while the land would have worked well for the Wallowas, it was close to the soyapo town of Lewistown. There was much fear of the Nez Perce among the Lewiston townspeople, even though the town had been located on 1863 reservation land.

White Bird and the Palouse chiefs were looking at land near Looking Glass’s band in the Clearwater River Valley.

Cortez had not been asked to go with White Bird on these trips, which lasted several days. At first this was fine with him, but when he never saw Rachel, he became tortured with thoughts that she just didn’t want to be with him. He wandered the Lapwai area lonely and bored.

May 14, 1877

The non-treaty bands met again today with General Howard and Agent Monteith. It was agreed that the bands would come onto the reservation lands within 30 days. It will be very difficult for Joseph’s band to gather all their horses and cattle and cross them over the Snake and Salmon rivers during the flood stage. Joseph objected, but Howard and Monteith remained firm. Word has come to Joseph that about a thousand soldiers are now at the Grande Ronde, ready to force the move. So, it appears that Joseph doesn’t have any choice

All during the council, letters arrived from white people living on the lands of the non-treaty bands complaining of misconduct by the Ni-mi-pu. This made the agent even more insistent on the 30-day move. White Bird’s people were especially disturbed when a letter was read from some of the white people in the Salmon River Valley accusing us of bad conduct and causing fear. These were the same people who had moved onto our land and abused and even murdered our people. Many grew angry at this letter. I counseled that we would be better off away from these people, and that soyapos like these would not be able to come onto the reservation and take over our gardens, as Larry Ott did and then murdered Eagle Robe.

Joseph told Monteith and Howard that he would move to the Clearwater River area and not take the land on Lapwai Creek. The people in Lewistown, who had heard that Joseph’s band might possibly be near their town and became worried.

The chiefs pleaded with General Howard to release Toohoolhoolzote from the jail. They made personal promises that they would not let the angry chief cause more problems. Toohoolhoolzote was released, but he was given a white shirt to wear. In Ni-mi-pu tradition, this is the apparel of a bride, thus an insult to his manhood.

I hope that Toohoolhoolzote behaves. Otherwise, Joseph, White Bird, and Looking Glass might be jailed in his place.

Journal of Cortez Modrables

May 15, 1877

All the bands left Lapwai today.

The bravado was gone. The bluster that the bands had shown when they first arrived to meet in council with the people who would put them on the reservation was quieted. When they arrived, they had thought that, through their logic and sense of justice, the chiefs might change the minds of General Howard and this thing called the government. They had felt that the pride and honor to be found in compromise would be seen and respected. This had not happened. Even though the non-treaty bands felt that they were right, and their stand had been correct, this thing called the government had spoken stronger words and had even shown the rifle.

The good feelings about moving onto the new lands on the Clearwater had faded with the realization that familiar places must be left behind, and the hardships of the move must be faced. A sense of sadness overshadowed the whole situation. It wasn’t just the hard move, but the realization that their old life of freedom to roam the land was fast being taken from the Ni-mi-pu.

There was also sadness in learning that the white people in the Salmon River Valley had turned their faces against the Lamtamas, even though many had been friends over the years. Those soyapo “friends” would soon move onto the Ni-mi-pu farms and occupy the cabins built by the Ni-mi-pu, emulating those of the white farmers.

Cortez rode over to the Agency school to see Rachel before leaving with White Bird. He found her at her desk with the children writing on their slates. She was nervous about having the young shaman with her in the school room, so they stepped outside. Rachel showed a big happy grin, however, as Cortez told her how the Lamtamas would be neighbors to Looking Glass’s band and her family. “Will you now give up being a tiwet with Dreamer ways and become a white doctor?” Rachel’s dark eyes danced as she asked this.

This sudden question took Cortez by surprise. “I don’t know,” was all he could answer.

“Most reservation Ni-mi-pu are Christians. Will you become a Christian, Cortez?”

Rachel’s challenging question again caught the young shaman off guard, and he again answered, “I don’t know.”

Rachel was then both excited and nervous, so she quickly kissed Cortez’s cheek and ran back into the school and her tittering students. For Cortez, the joy of the moment was gone. He was dismayed by Rachel’s questions—knowing that his answers would affect their future together. I might, in time, go from being a Nez Perce shaman to being a doctor to both Indians and whites, but can I ever become a Christian?