I will fight no more forever

(link)
I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.
It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

I am not tired of fighting - afraid yes, but tired - no. In fact I have not done any fighting, too cowardly. Please forgive me - our country, our culture, our laws, our future are all being taken from us, and I do nothing.

 

Shame on me - houses, jobs, countryside, lives, innocence all given away and still I sit and blog - it is not enough.

 

Here are some more words from chief Jospeh - (link)

 

I know that my race must change. We can not hold our own with the white men as we are. We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. We ask that the same law shall work alike on all men. If the Indian breaks the law, punish him by the law. If the white man breaks the law, punish him also. Let me be a free man -- free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself -- and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.  Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other, then we will have no more wars. We shall all be alike --brothers of one father and one mother, with one sky above us and one country around us, and one government for all. Then the Great Spirit Chief who rules above will smile upon this land, and send rain to wash out the bloody spots made by brothers' hands from the face of the earth. For this time the Indian race are waiting and praying. I hope that no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.
In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat has spoken for his people.
Young Joseph.

You will notice that he makes reference to the need for his race to change - ours must too - we must change by recognising we are in danger.

He also asks for equality in law - we must ask for the same.