Attack on Chief Looking Glass' Village

Description: 

Attack on Chief Looking Glass' Village* near Kooskia, Idaho. Drawn by Peo-peo Tholekt.

Summary: 
Peo Peo Tholekt's great grandson Leroy Seth describes the attack on the village of Chief Looking Glass and events during the 1877 war.
Cultural Narrative: 

 

 

"The drawing in front of me is pencil work, depicting a battle that took place in Clear Creek on our Nez Perce Reservation up on the upper parts of Kamiah and along the river. It shows the warriors, you know, fighting against the cavalry. It shows the tipis where they were camped. The long story started all the way from Wallowas when we realized that the government wasn't going to let us stay there - let our people stay there so, come on over to Lapwai and things weren't all that peaceful there, so they ended up going upriver towards Clear Creek, and that battle took place and then after that they had to go on over toward White Bird. My great grandfather was in that battle, and we had quite a few of the soldiers suffer losses and I think maybe one or two of our people were wounded and that was about it. But that was the White Bird Battle near Riggins, Idaho. And then the trek started beginning from there all the way into Montana and Yellowstone Park - there's battles there - and then they ended up in Big Hole. And then from Big Hole finally the last battle at Bear Paw. So, as I mentioned, there were quite a few battles along the way, and there seemed like there was no peace in sight even though our Nez Perce tribe were a peaceful tribe. We tried to be, or, they tried to be, and the government didn't want it that way. They wanted to wipe us out. And so it was quite a trip, from Oregon to Idaho, Montana, and up into Canada" Leroy Seth.