Chief Moses (Sulktalthscosum or Half-Sun) was chief of the Columbias, a Salish-speaking people of the mid-Columbia River area in what is now the state of Washington. This award-winning biography by Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown situates Moses in the opening of the Northwest and subsequent Indian-white relations, between 1850 and 1898. Early in life Moses had won a name for himself battling whites, but with the maturity and responsibilities of chieftainship, he became a diplomat and held his united tribe at peace in spite of growing white encroachment. He resisted the call to arms of his friend Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces, whose heroic campaign ended in defeat and exile to Indian Territory. Yet their friendship persisted, and after Joseph's return to the Northwest, the two lived out their lives on the reservation, sharing their frustrations and uniting their voices in complaint.

Book Information
ISBN 9780806127385
Author Robert H. Ruby
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint University of Oklahoma Press
Publisher University of Oklahoma Press