Buying land from the Indians, as seen by the Indians

"Suppose a white man should come to me and say, 'Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them.'

"I say to him, 'No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them.'

"Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him, 'Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell.'

"My neighbor answers, 'Pay me the money and I will sell you Joseph's horses.'

"The white man returns to me and says, 'Joseph, I have bought your horses and you must let me have them.'

"If we sold our lands to the government, this is the way they bought them."

     --Chief Joseph (aka Thunder Rolling in the Mountains) of the Nez Perce