Chief Joseph--Hin-mah-too-yah-kekht (Thunder traveling to loftier heights)--a chief of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, resisted the removal of his tribe from their lands in 1877. When the tribe was attacked by the United States Army, Chief Joseph led his tribe to several victories over much larger U.S. forces. Afterward, Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce on a thousand-mile retreat over mountainous terrain in an effort to escape into Canada. Overtaken by federal troops only thirty miles from the border, with most of his warriors dead or wounded and his people starving, Chief Joseph surrendered, saying, "I will fight no more forever."