ABSTRACT
After the capture of most non-treaty people in 1877, the bulk of those people sent into exile in Oklahoma also disappeared since Anglo Americans condensed Nez Perce voices into a single voice and visage, that of Chief Joseph, their Red Napoleon, and their tragic hero of the Nez Perce War and future friend. The death of a large number of people in Eekish Pah, the hot place, aided in the silencing of most non-treaty Nez Perce. Whether dying in Eekish Pah or moving toward “civilization” on the reservation, Anglo Americans saw the situation of the Nez Perce as the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny and confirmation of their own cultural and racial superiority. The ultimate indication of Anglo-American superiority lay in vanquishing a foe as virtuous, honorable, and intelligent as Chief Joseph. The creation of the Joseph myth distilled the experience of non-treaty people into the life of one man who served as a mirror for Anglo Americans, a mirror that reflected the glory and superiority of Anglo America culture over the savage and that reinforced beliefs that the United States rested under divine sanction and blessing.
