The account of Chief Joseph’s Nez Perce Indians and their pursuit of freedom along the almost 1,200-mile trail that led from their homeland in the Wallowa Valley of Eastern Washington, through Idaho to Island Park and the Yellowstone country, then on to the Bear’s Paw Mountains of Northern Montana is an impressive saga. It was at the Bear’s Paw battlefield that Chief Joseph, with prophetic finality, made his historic pronouncement: “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”[1]
During an earlier engagement of the conflict at the Big Hole battlefield near the Northern Idaho-Southern Montana border, the Nez Perce were surrounded by troops of the United States Cavalry and attacked in the early morning’s light. The Indians were encumbered by their herd of approximately 1,500 horses and the reality that their tribe of nearly 750 was largely made up of older men, women, and children—with relatively few warriors. The circumstance favored the soldiers so overwhelmingly that the capture of the Indians and their return to a reservation home seemed all but certain. The battle commenced along a small stream and in the nearby woods. Initially taken by surprise and outmanned, the Nez Perce slowly began to turn the tide of the battle. How, against such odds, they were able to win the day and temporarily escape the clutches of their would-be enforcers is instructive.
They did it by virtue of independent, responsible action; good judgment; and courage. It was “their way,” when faced with challenge, to act on their own volition in the best interest of their families and community. In short, they assumed personal responsibility for the eventual outcome and they individually made a difference.
The soldiers also were trained to act—but only after they had been commanded. For the army, there was a critical time delay between recognizing a need and acting to address it. Personal judgment and skill were somewhat mitigated as they awaited instruction. This seemingly small difference was a vital factor in the outcome of the battle.
I reference this episode as a model for observations I wish to make relative to students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Brigham Young University-Idaho. In November of 2004, this institution lost its president for reasons that are well known and affectionately sustained. The November devotional presented by the Bednars was a touching moment of departure. Spontaneous singing occurred, tears were shed, and gestures of love and good wishes were exchanged.
Following all of that, a long line of students formed for the purpose of greeting and welcoming Estella and me to our recently appointed duties. We were grateful for the many expressions of encouragement: “We will help you”; “We will do our part”; “We know we can make this work”; “You can count on me”; “We will stand together, it will all work out.” They were unsolicited, honest expressions from students who, like Chief Joseph’s Nez Perce, saw a need and were prepared to respond. You knew you could make a difference, and you stepped forward willingly and independently to do so.
It soon became clear that not only students, but the vast majority of those affiliated with this institution have undertaken to act in the best interest of the BYU-Idaho community. Each of you has contributed to our moving on by acting on issues and needs that were appropriately within your purview to address—doing so on the basis of personal capacity and judgment. You, students and employees alike, collectively willed the university to press forward on its charted course. You had been trained to do so. And you did it for the cause you have embraced, the cause to which you have committed your discipleship—of which this institution is a part.
Even more to the point, I trust you will carry these patterns of involvement with you as you move to the next level of engagement with spouses, children, careers, and service. The pattern will serve your future even as it serves the present and, in a related way, as it served the historical past of Chief Joseph and his people.
Your positive and helpful response to the delay in appointing the next permanent president—and the resulting interim period required—came as no surprise to Estella and me. We have known you, and others like you, for most of our lives! We have seen you both under siege and on green pastures. We know something of your hearts. We were confident that, as a family of learners and teachers, you would move the school forward and not back. You persisted because you understood that more was at stake than your own priorities and preferences. You were aware of close parallels between the action called for and the patterns of the kingdom. Your response to the change really was closely akin to the ways of the Lord. To know, to act, and to do—all essential elements of a disciple’s identity. We learn from scripture:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." [2]
"Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself . . . " [3]
"Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence."[4]
"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; . . . Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will . . . ; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves." [5]
Estella and I commend you, as graduates, for knowing, acting, and doing! We admire you for your faith and for your sustaining and steadying influence on issues that matter to each of us, both individually and collectively, and to the Lord. We compliment the mothers, fathers, and families who gave you life and committed themselves to your happiness.
We testify that God is our Father, His only begotten son is our Savior, and Gordon B. Hinckley is their prophet. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Helen Addison Howard, Saga of Chief Joseph, University of Nebraska Press, p. 330
[2] John 17:3, emphasis added
[3] 2 Nephi 2:16, emphasis added
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 107:99, emphasis added
[5] Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-29, emphasis added