David Miles:  

Life The NOW picture is taken with all of my eight grandchildren on Christmas Day, the birthday of the youngest, Jalisco Douglas Miles, who is standing in front of his older cousins. He just turned ten year-old The oldest granddaughter , Selina Miles at far right is now entering her sophomore year of college, and works for the Nez Perce Tribe in the Wildlife department. The next granddaughter, Celilo (named after Celilo Falls on the Columbia River where the Nez Perce Fished during various salmon runs -Spring, Summer, and Fall) who is sitting with a yellow shirt will be a junior in high school this year and is athletic, and does some modeling. The next granddaughter is Erin Ramsey, who is at the far left, who is going into her freshman year is also another basketball player as well as intelligent. The oldest grandson is Aaron Miles, Jr., (sitting to Erin"s left) who is going into his sophomore in high school and attends numerous basketball tournaments this summer and is an exceptional players as well. The next grandson is James Miles (sitting by his sister Celilo on the folding chair) will be going into his eighth grade. The next grandsons are Tommy Williams, III, who will also be an eighth grader, participates in basketball and track. The next grandson is Ivory Denzel Williams, sitting in the red folding chair, is an all-sports individual, and does excellent in basketball and baseball. The last grandson, Jalisco Douglas Miles, will not be born for another two more years on December 25, 2004, and is the apple of everybody's eye. He tends to pattern his life through sports after his older cousin Ivory Williams or Jinx as he is known around the area. All eight of my grandchildren are proud to be Nez Perce Indians, and they enjoy fishing for salmon during the Spring run (late May through early July). Iknow my father, Dave Miles, Sr., would be mighty proud of all of his grandchildren and would follow them in their sport's activities. I miss my father and although he never urged me to go on to get an education, his life spoke a lot to me while growing up. My father passed away in January 1994, shy of 90 years old by a few months. Although, we never communicated that much, his life spoke loudly too me as I know that very few people could have followed his footsteps. He was an older soldier when landing on Normandy Beach, 40 years old. I had an uncle who fought against the Japanese at age sixteen, and my ex-wife, her father was sixteen as well, both fought against the Imperialist Japanese. I doubt if you would see a sixteen year old fighting now, but during the Vietnam war, a sixteen year old Black from Chicago was killed over there and apparently made it over there by mistake! I hated war but did sign up for vietnam while coming back on the south Pacific cruise arriving back in December 1969. My reason for signing up for duty was to get into the drug scene. I had experienced drugs on the cruise into the south pacific. There were many who turned to drugs and some were the older sailors who dismissed the thought that you would go crazy. You might get addicted which eventually happened to me, but that was a risk I did take. If I had to line my life again, I probably would do the same but get into the Bay area a year earlier. However, I am thankful to the Lord who blessed me with exceptional grandchildren who all are intelligent and gifted with athletic skills. My life could end at anytime so if it does, then I can only hope that I am ready. I lost friends who went way before their time. I hope all will allow the Lord Jesus Christ work in your lives and lead you to a better Life for your families. God Bless The Nez Perces - chiefs, warriors, women, children and elders still wanted to live the ways of their ancestors - free and without constraints, moved along towards Canada, fought and won many of the battles aginst the US military. Against great odds they were finally stopped some 50 miles from freedom - the Canadian border! My great grandparents escaped into Canada and thus, my grandfather James Joseph Miles was born there sometimes after October 1877. Very few people understand us, or try to understand us. I am proud to have come from these great people, that of the Joseph Band in Oregon, and than a direct descendant of the old Chief Looking Glass Band in north-central Idaho. I am highly-educated but I would trade all of my education for that life of the past. I find it difficult to move in and around this western society that was foreign to my ancestors of the 19th century. The Than pic is of two of my grandchildren, Ivory on the left and Trey on the right who I live with. Once I have a pic taken of all of my eight grandchildren, I will replace with it. I look over my life and remember my grandfather, James Jospeh Miles, and try to understand him. However, he kept much of his life to himself. I now wonder how he thought life would have been for him and his parents if they would have been allowed to live in the beautiful Wallowa Mountains in Oregon. I know that he longed for that area, but it was never to happen. We as Indians or Nez Perce People, have feelings, emotions - good and bad, that made us who we are! We were not the savages, depicted in the old western movies where Indians were looked upon as being heathens, or soul-less! I read the many sayings of Chief Joseph, whose heart was saddened the way that his People had to live in exile in Indian country in Oklahoma. Jospeh was the powerful leader of the Wallow People of Nez Perce. There were other bands, as my mother was a direct descendant of Old Looking Glass who was Chief of this band of Nez Perce who lived in the upper reaches of the Clearwater country near Kooskia, Idaho. Young Chief Joseph appeared many times before Congress, asking for the return to his Father's land there in Oregon. He never saw this happen only to die a poor person, with a broken heart in 1904 at the age of 63 years old. Wow, in another four years, if the Lord's mercy is upon me, I will reach that age. My ancestors never benefitted by the onslaught of Western Civilization. People today, say come step into the 21st Century. Myself, I would rather have lived the ways of my ancestors, who lived a life that very few people ever lived. They were never without, and could travel to and fro. Yes, they had enemies, but were the predominant tribe in the Plateau area, and treated strangers with compassion as you would see if you read the accounts of Lewis and Clark expedition into our area in the early 1800s! I just turned 60 this past March 2009 and many people who I knew have passed on or died leaving me behind to live on a dying planet as well. One friend just died last week. My mother passed away on July 14, 2007 and she lived to the age of 91 years. My son, Aaron who is 39, discussed this concern and we both agreed that we do not want to live that long and burden our loved ones. As a young person, I had the opportunity to travel a lot during my high school years, by attending Sacajawe Jr. ...Expand for more