Saga of Chief Joseph

This new edition of journalist Howard's classic 1941 biography of Nez Perce leader Hin-mut-too-yah-lat-kekht (1840-1904), known to whites as Chief Joseph, serves as a jarring reminder that the book, dedicated "to the original Americans-the red Indians of North America," is as much a part of American history as its subject. In 1941, Howard published a popular, vivid narrative biography called War Chief Joseph that she hoped was motion-picture worthy. As Nicole Tonkovich, professor of American literature at U.C.-San Diego, points out in her illuminating introduction, Hollywood never called, but Howard continued her research on Joseph, working new information and new analyses into subsequent reprints. By the 1960s, she developed a different interpretation of Joseph-"a 'guardian of the people,' a diplomat, a peace leader and an occasional warrior"-and retitled the book. Unfortunately, these revisions didn't extend to the "freighted language" Howard used to describe Native Americans and their culture. Howard's outmoded language might put off some readers, but she clearly sympathized with Joseph and the Nez Perce. From Joseph's years as a spiritual leader to the 1877 battle of the Bearpaw Mountains and surrender of the Nez Perce, Howard renders Joseph's life and times in fine detail. Her storytelling reflects a sharp journalistic eye and a knack for the grand sweep of history. Illus. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The mythology surrounding Nez Percé chief Joseph (1840-1904) is built on a speech in which he purportedly said, "I will fight no more forever." To the United States, his capitulation marked the completion of the conquest of the West. In order to make his defeat legendary, white America characterized him as a brilliant tactician. He was also given the mantle of the stereotypical Indian; a noble warrior and chief of a doomed race. It is doubtful that the historical Joseph would even recognize the caricature that was erected. When Howard first published War Chief Joseph in 1941, renamed Saga of Chief Joseph in later editions, she sought to separate fable from fact. Her work became the definitive biography through much of the 20th century. Its import still looms large among scholars researching the Nez Percé. Verdict This work is recommended for academic and lay readers. It should be read alongside Kent Nerburn's Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce, which incorporates primary sources not available to Howard to arrive at significantly different conclusions. Another recommended read on the topic is Elliott West's The Last Indian War: The Nez Percé Story.-John R. Burch, Univ. of Tennessee at Martin © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.