Chief Joseph - History Maker Bios Author:Jane Sutcliffe, Tim Parlin (Illustrator) True or False? The name of Chief Joseph's people, the Nez Perce, means "pierced nose" in French. — True! French-Canadian fur trappers called them the Nez Perce because some of them pierced their noses with shell jewelry. — Chief Joseph helped lead his people on a dangerous 1,700-mile journey to escape the ... more »U.S. Army. Joseph is famous for declaring "I will fight no more forever." But afterward he spent the rest of his life trying to get his homeland, the Wallowa Valley, back for his people. He became a national hero, and his speeches and writing were published in the leading newspapers of the time.« less