Country Quote by Chief Joseph
“The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Address to the Nez Perce, 1877
He contrasts the arrival of Lewis and Clark with the deep history of his people, emphasizing that European explorers were not the first inhabitants.
In simple terms: European explorers were not the first people there.
Key Takeaway
Recognize indigenous histories before colonial narratives.
Themes
history
colonialism
identity
Mood
reflective
respectful
Type
historical
cultural
When to use this quote
- education
- museum curation
- policy making
- community storytelling
Key Concepts
indigenous rights
historical perspective
Questions to Reflect On
- How does acknowledging pre‑colonial history change our view of national identity?
- What responsibilities arise from this awareness?
A Different Perspective
The quote may oversimplify complex interactions between tribes and settlers.
![“[The brain] is just a landscape...We're Lewis and Clark. We have no idea what's going on in most of that terrain. It's wilderness, I'm telling you. -Dr. David Sutton” quote by Barbara Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e44/barbara-hall-34548_brain_the-brain-is-just-a-landscape-we-re-lewi_2635587.jpg)
![“That statement [ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'] woke me up to the fact that the landscape that Lewis and Clark came across was greater than the Serengeti. And it's gone.” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b88/sam-abell-7768_facts_that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-h_236207.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
