About One Sky Above Us: The Story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians
Chief Joseph’s band of Nez Perce Indians lived in Oregon’s green and beautiful Wallowa Valley. His people loved their ancient home and were grateful for their land and everything that lived on it. As one Nez Perce warrior said, “I belong to the land out of which I came. The earth is my mother.”
But when settlers invaded, Joseph knew that his homeland and the ways of his tribe were in danger. He vowed to his dying father that he would guard the beautiful valley of winding waters with his life.
In this book, you’ll learn how Chief Joseph became both a statesman and a war leader, led his people in their heroic fight for freedom, and why—in his darkest hour—he said, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
Praise
“Caught in the path of the Westward Movement, the peace–loving Nez Perce Indians occupied prime homeland. Initially they befriended trappers and explorers; they formed friendships with Lewis & Clark (1805), early pioneers, and missionaries; but they could not stop the tide of settlers who flooded across America following the Oregon Trail. With engaging narrative, bold print, and historical illustrations, Nancy Plain tells the sad story of a peaceful people who were pushed off their land by conquest, government promises, betrayal, chicanery, and at last, war. Told with compassion and historical detail, we hear the story of Chief Joseph, a strong and wise leader, a peacemaker at heart. Through broken promises and battle skirmishes, and finally the desperate, but unsuccessful march toward Canada, he managed to keep the remnants of his people together. His words of surrender touch the heart, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
The book cover image of Chief Joseph superimposed over a dimming landscape painted in twilight blues, greens, and dark earth colors, captures the haunting sense of his indomitable spirit that still hovers over the land. Memories of a family camping trip to Wallowa Lake State Park in Northeastern Oregon drew me into the story. The Wallowa Mountains still stand guard; Wallowa Lake is a place of beauty and peace; the Nez Perce story still resonates there. During his lifetime Chief Joseph became a national figure and is remembered for his wisdom in a speech given in Washington, D. C. (1879). He told the story of Nez Perce sufferings and injustice, then ended with words that we need for today, a hope that in some distant future with “one sky above us,” there would be “equality of all people.” This readable story adds to the Native American lore for students, American history teachers, and history buffs of all ages.“ – Janice E. Kirk, author and illustrator of Milton the Mouse