Chief Joseph - Suppose a white man should come to me and say, "Joseph, I like your horses.

Suppose a white man should come to me and say, "Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them." I say to him, "No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them." Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him, "Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell." My neighbor answers, "Pay me the money and I will sell you Joseph's horses." The white man returns to me and says, "Joseph, I have bought your horses and you must let me have them." If we sold our lands to the government, this is the way they bought them.

- Chief Joseph

source: Arguing against the right of the US Government to force his people to leave their lands, 1876.

topic: I Like You, Horse, Men, Indian Wisdom, Good Horse, Return To Me, American Indian, Native American Earth