Chief Joseph Got it Right

Dee Brown's timeless classic, Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, (1970, Henry Holt and Company), retells this exchange between Chief Joseph of the Northwestern U.S. Nez Perce tribe and an Indian Agency Commissioner:

In a short time a group of commissioners arrived to begin organization of a new Indian agency in the valley. One of them mentioned the advantages of schools for Joseph's people. Joseph replied that the Nez Perces did not want the white man's schools.

"Why do you not want schools?" the commissioner asked.
"They will teach us to have churches," Joseph answered.
"Do you not want churches?"
"No, we do not want churches."
"Why do you not want churches?"
"They will teach us to quarrel about God," Joseph said. "We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that." (p. 318)

Something precious was lost, when we wiped out what was most noble within the hearts of our native peoples. The opportunity to successfully blend two wonderful cultures took a fatal beating.

This philosophy, of refusing to argue over things not of this world, is the opposite of the very worst of Western Culture.

This did not come from Christianity. Jesus is the embodiment of refusing to get hooked into mindless debates. He did not deal in vain arguments on finer theological points. The Native Americans had much in common, in this area.

No - the passion to argue and divide, comes from Western European culture. It arose from the close proximity of different cultures and languages, living a few miles from one another, seeking some type of ordered co-existence. Their walled cities and castle fortresses created more than just physical boundaries between people.

The "survival of the fittest" mentality was in practice long before Darwin (a Westerner) articulated it! The good impulse to promote personal responsibility, often decayed into an "eat or be eaten" economic model.

And we see it today, in our politics! My party, right or wrong, has replaced My country, right or wrong! We see it in the hypocrisy of Democrats, who for decades pronounced the virtues of John McCain as a man above party and politics, as a Republican they could actually support, of someone ready to lead the country.

Chief Joseph is talking about getting over this silly partisanship, putting forth a leader, and getting on with it. Granted, in their system there would be no doubt that John McCain, the elder, would automatically be elevated above Barack Obama, the upstart.

Debates, partisanship, arguments, divisions, pointless diversions from the important thngs in life.

Chief Joseph spoke wise words that should be remembered, and followed, with the most profound statements of our great leaders in history.