[1][2] At a winter meeting in 1876, Toohoolhoolzote had been appointed the head speaker for the Nez Perce bands of Joseph, Looking Glass, White Bird and his own for the coming meeting with U.S. Army General Oliver O.
[6] This includes about 25 Palus men under the chief Hahtalekin (also known as Taktsoukt Jlppilp - "Echo" or "Red Echo") and Husishusis Kute (Husis Husis Kute, Hush-hush-cute - "Bald Head", "Naked Head").
One of the major concerns of the leaders was that they have sufficient time to prepare to leave and to move their livestock.
[5] Toohoolhoolzote also expressed the natives' reluctance to sell their land, which went against their religious beliefs.
General Oliver O. Howard put this to them strongly, after Toohoolhoolzote began to speak on the sacredness of the Earth to his people: "I do not want to hear you say anything more like that.
Yellow Wolf reported the final words: Chief Toohoolhoolzote did not become afraid.
It is simiakia, the Nez Perce way, our inner pride of Indian manhood...[7] ...staring down all that bitter talk and all those menacing white rifles with nothing save his Nez Perce simiakia, his terrible Indian pride...[8] This blind pride was my father's blood, the simiakia of my untamed ancestors entering into me.
...stood up above the pit to show the power of his personal simiakia, his faith, his own medicine.
[1] The Dreamer religion called for throwing off white culture peacefully, by rejecting it and not participating in it.
[1] According to the Nez Perce dictionary, Toohoolhoolzote was a transliteration of tukulkulcúᐧt, which meant antelope.