Artist: Ron Embleton
(biography)Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 17" x 21" (425mm x 535mm)
Date: 1970
This is the unique original Gouache painting by Ron Embleton.The Nez Perce were an Indian Nation that lived in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. The Nez Perce split into two groups in the mid-19th century, with one side accepting coerced relocation to a reservation and the other refusing to give up their fertile land in Washington and Oregon.
On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Nation surrendered to units of the U.S. Cavalry near Chinook in the north of what is now Montana. Before this surrender, the Nez Perce fought a cunning strategic retreat toward refuge in Canada from about 2,000 soldiers. This surrender, after fighting 13 battles and going about 1,700 miles (2,740 km) toward Canada, marked the last great battle between the U.S. government and an Indian nation.
After surrendering, Chief Joseph stated his famous quote: "Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." The flight path is reproduced by the Nez Perce National Historic Trail. The annual Cypress Hills ride in June commemorates the Nez Perce people's crossing into Canada.
This is the original artwork for the Look and Learn series 'When the Red Man Rode'. Please note blank space on the bottom left of the picture once held a block of text relating to the history of the Nez Pearce but has since been lost. None of the original art has been lost.
