Terra


 * What do you believe were the causes of the conflict?**

I believe that one of the causes was, in 1863 the discovery of gold was made along the Clearwater River on the Nez Perce Reservation. Another cause is that prospectors were eager to move the Nez Perce Indians so they could make way for mining. Some negotiators went to the Nez Perce living in the Wallowa Mountains of norteastern Oregon, to whom the gold lands belonged. With the offerings of cash and goods in exchange for them to move to western Idaho along with the other Nez Perce who were different because they adopted a white lifestyle and were attempting to live as farmers and ranchers. They refused. The Nez Perce in weastern Idaho were approached by the government officials and asked their chief, ( Chief Lawyer) to sign the lands away in northeastern Oregon, they promised a reward if they did. He signed the land away even though it was'nt his land and it was'nt legal. Those are a few casuses to the conflict that happened.

**__What is the relevant background information (i.e. who, what, when, where)?__**

__Who__- Chief Joseph, Chief Lawyer, Chief Looking Glass, Chief White Bird, Chief Toohoolhoolzote, and General Oliver O. Howard were all involved in the conflict.

__What__- Government officials, prospectors, and General Oliver O. Howard wanted to move the Nez Perce because there was gold in the river and they wanted to mine on their land but they refused to give it up, thets what started mostly everything.

__When__- This all started in the 1877's and ended in the same year ( 1877).

__Where__- It took place in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and western Idaho, it also ended near chinook which is the northpart of Montana today. It is were Chief Joseph gave his famous surrender.

__Why__- the reason the whole thing started was because the gold was discovered in the Clearwater River and prospectors wanted to mine there, but it was on the Nez Perce Reservation. and they refused to give up their land. I think it was really gready of us to force the Nez Perce to move and fight.


 * What were 3 factors that helped cause the conflict (politics, economics, geography, history)?**

__One factor__, is that there was gold discovered in the Clearwater River, and they wanted to mine there.but they couldn't because it belonged to the Nez Perce which lead to the conflict. __Another factor__, is that there were other indian wars prior to the Nez Perce Retreat, since there were other wars it could have made us feel like we hade to be more forceful twards the Nez Prerce. __One more factor__, is that the Nez Perce never had any conflicts or wars with anyone and that could have made us feel like we could get away with taking from them.

**Explain why one factor is more important than the others.**

The factor of gold being discovered in the Clearwater River is more important than the others because, even if we didn't have other fights with other indians before the Nez Perce we would have still tried to take the land for the gold, and it wouldn't mader if the Nez Perce tribe was peaceful or not we would still would have tried to force them off the land so we could mine for gold.

**How could the conflict have been avoided?**

I think that if the gold was never found in the Clearwater River, and if the mining never had to go through the Nez Perce reservations, then there would have never been a conflict between the U.S. ant the Nez Perce Tribe.


 * What sources of information have you used? **

1. Washington A State of Contrasts by Dale A. Lambert and Dustin W. Clark 2.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perec#References 3. [|www.indigenouspeople,net/joseph.htm]