The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1877-07-20
THE INDIAN NoHAMGED.
" smohala the Dreame"," the Prophet Whom
the Bloody Nez Perces Follow.


the treaty with Governor I. I. Stevens, of
Washington Territory, made with the Nez
Perces and other tribes, in June 1857. At
that time Governor Stevens refused to rec
ognize the hereditary chief of the Nez
Perces, and practically elevated Lawyer, a
cunning and traetable Indian, to the chief
tainship. The Nez Perces were then and
are yet the mos numerous of any of the
Tribes of that W hole region. They are gen
orally peaceful and live quietly on the fine
and extensive reset vation on the Snake and
Clearwater rivers, near the town lewiston.
They cultivate large farms, have innumera-
BILE herds of horses, and are generally we'll
to-do people. But some of he tribe are
"wild'' Indians. and instead of believing
with the majority Of their brethren in the
policy of somewhat ci vilized life, they
prefer to follow after the traditions and
habits of their savage ancestors. Among
the chiefs who very reluctantly signed the
treaty of 1857 was Joseph the father of
the chief of the same name who now
heads the outbreak. Old Joseph was not a
Nez Perces. He was Cayuse Chief. Yet
he claimed the Wallowa valley, and was
recognized as leader of his people. Some
of the Nez Perces, who were dissatisfied
with the treaty, but more with the conduct
of Gov. Stevens in elsvsting Lawyer to the
chieftaincy, rneasureably sided with Joseph,
and the disaffected of still 9th er tribes
Joined them, SO as to swell the num-
Der to somewhat formidable proportions.
Before that time a very cunning Indian had
begun to evolve new faith or superstition
Smohalla, or 'sThe Dreamer" He bad oeen
taught by missionaries, and he turned what
be learned to account in way hts
teachers had never intended Or expected.
Of all the Bible lessons, the one he most
and particularly set store by was that
contained in Judges VI and VII, as to
Gideon and his hand, reduced from many
thousands to only three hundred, over
coming the Midi antics. Smohalla preached
to his tribe the doctrine he derived from
the text, and inspired them to believe
that although the whites, or Midianites
were powerful in numbers, yet could the
Lords own people, Gideon's band of 800
the Indians themselves-triumph over them
and drive them from the land. During the
Indan war of 1853, when the late General
Wright severely whipped the Indians Of
the upper country, and obliged them to
Su., tor peace, he put stop to Smohalla's
preaching and influence by keeping him
close prisoner. But after General (or Col
onel, as he was tllen,) Wright made peace
he allowed the miscbiesouI "dreamer
his liberty, on condition he should cease
his efforts to propagat, his peculiar ineen-
diary doctrine among the Indians. and un
til General Wright wa5 called away from
there, during the civil war, Smohalla
found it advisable to refrain from openly
seeking converts.
Since that time, however, he has been
very active as aprophet and missionary to
spread it's faith, and his success has grown
into an alarming magnitude. 1t is not only
among his own tribe he has found his con-
verts. He has gone every season to the
buffalo country and 9th er hunting grounds
to the east and south, and everywhere he
has found followers, for it is a most in
spring hope or idea to the average savage
that he shall yet see the day when he can
glut his never-dying revenge upon the white
man, exterminate the race, and again re-
deem to himself and his people the lands
from which the whites have driven them.
To thoroughly indoctrinate his believers,
Smohalla impresses upon them certain car
dInal duties. They must be wild Indi-
ans" they must not practice any of the
arts of civilization, but live as their fathers
lived before the coming of the whites
They must not tolerate the approach of the
white man, hold no intercourse with him,
accept any favor from him, enter his house,
or deal with him except for firearms. pow
der and lead. They must not go on any
enter any church building or
school house, allow any clergy man or teach
OE W DlCdEA VI thCAis AtotCA w U'tt
thing spoken or read from book, or hold
converse of any kind with any of their own
people who persist in friendship with or
copying after the civilization of the whites.
In short, they must absolutely resist and
abstain from every effort or act calculated
to bring them into the association or infu
ence of the whites in the slightest particu-
lar, but they must never neglect to sieze an
to advantage themselves at the
expense of the hated race.
Its to this exclusively savage doctrine
young Joseph has committed himself. His
father, the old chief, is dead. Young
Joseph is his successor. He is now in the
full vigor of manhood-about 40 years
Of aga, and is model warrior chief-tall
we'll formed, of bold bearing, dignifed
demeanor, and every inch a leader. He
has i. naughty scorn of white men, and
despises any of his own race who will con-
sent to be at peace and submit to them.
With him are the allied renegades, or
6 wild Indians of the ;arious other other
tribes Of that broad region, and
no doubt there are nearly thousand of
them in all. That they are generally well
armed and equipped for prolonged hostility
is very probable. They have been for
years preparing for war, and the country is
entirely favorable to their hostile purposes.
Before troops can reach them they can Sc
cure large supplies of provisions from the
stores Of the whites they eithermassacre or
drive away, and it will be almost impossi-
BILE to hunt them in their many and quite
impregnable hiding places in the mountains
and along the rivers and tributaries among
the rocks and caiions. They have range
of hundreds of miles in extent, and they are
familiar with the whole country. 1t is