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Learn about the original location of the Nez Perce tribe, the Nez Perce Treaty of 1855, Chief Joseph's resistance to selling their land, the impact of the Dawes Act, the Nez Perce War of 1877, and the current status of the Nez Perce tribe.
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The Nez Perce Tribe’s Original Location • The Nez Perce or Nimi'ipuu (pronounced Nee-Me-Poo) originally lived in three of the most rugged river canyons in the Northwest--the canyons of Idaho's Clearwater, Salmon, and Snake Rivers.
Original Location (Continued) • The Nez Perce also lived on the Oregon side of the canyon, in a valley in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains. Wallowa Lake Land Original Territorial Land
The Nez Perce Treaty of 1855 • The Nez Perce Treaty signed at Camp Stevens in 1855 ordered the Nez Perce to relinquish their ancestral territory and move to Oregon's Umatilla Reservation with the Walla Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla Tribes.
Chief Joseph Dies • When Old Joseph died in 1871, Young Joseph inherited his birthright. It was his father who taught him that “No man owned any part of the earth, and a man could not sell what he did not own." Young Joseph vowed forever that he would not sell the land of his forefathers.
Chief Joseph • A quote from Chief Joseph: • "Do not misunderstand me [and] my affection for the land. I never said the land was mine to do with as I chose. The one who has the right to dispose of it is the one who has created it. I claim a right to live on my land, and accord you the privilege to live on yours. The earth is the mother of all people and all people should have equal rights upon it. • You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free • man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases..." Chief Joseph
The Dawes Act • Back in 1887, well-meaning reformers had persuaded Congress to pass the Dawes Act. It provided for each head of an Indian family to be given 160 acres of farmland or 320 of grazing land. Then, all the remaining tribal lands were to be declared "surplus" and opened up for whites.
Opposition to the Plan • The tribes opposed this plan so Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens granted the Nez Perce the right to remain in their own territory in the Nez Perce Treaty of Lapwai (1863), on the condition that they relinquish nearly 13 million acres to the U.S. government.
How Did This Impact the Nez Perce Tribe? • The Dawes Act, meant to help Indians, devastated them instead. • In 1895, the remaining half million unallotted acres of Nez Perce tribal land were declared "surplus" and opened for homesteading. • By 1910, there would be 30,000 whites within the Nez Perce reservation – and just 1,500 Nez Perce.
Land That Changed Hands • Across much of the West, the story would be the same. Before the Dawes Act, some 150 million acres remained in Indian hands. Within twenty years, two-thirds of their land was gone.
War of 1877 • In the mid-1800s, settlers came to the Nez Perce reservation. The Nez Perce War of 1877 began when some of the Nez Perce rebelled against treaties imposed by the settlers.
But How Did It Really Start? • The conflict began when white ranchers realized that the Wallowa Valley, as well as the Snake and Clearwater valleys, where the Indians lived, would make great open range for their cattle. As a result, the U.S. Government pressured the Indians to move to a reservation established in an 1863 treaty or be removed by force.
First Violence • At first, the Nez Perce agreed to the move in order to forestall violence, though they did not recognize the 1863 treaty as binding. Unfortunately, four whites, were killed by Nez Perce en route to the reservation. Looking Glass, Chief Joseph and the other Chiefs then decided to travel to Montana to stay with the Crow Tribe, a tribe they knew from their buffalo hunting in the area.
Heading Towards Canada • The Nez Perce traveled through Idaho towards Montana, fighting the U.S. Army in several battles along the way. The Nez Perce were successful in escaping the white men throughout all of these battles.
Cut Off Too Soon • The Nez Perce then entered Montana through mountainous Lolo Pass. They continued on to Yellowstone Park and then north toward Canada. When they were within a few days ride of Canada, the Nez Perce were cut off by General Nelson Miles and were forced to surrender.
The Battles End • The tribe was escorted to the Tongue River, then Bismarck, North Dakota, to wait until spring. From there they were sent to Fort Leavenworth, then Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1878. Many Nez Perce died in these places. Finally, in 1885, the remaining members of the tribe were sent to the Colville Reservation in Northern Washington State. Chief Joseph lived there until he died on September 21, 1904.
The Nez Perce Indians Today • Today most of the Nez Perce tribe reside on or near the Nez Perce Reservation in a town called Lapwai in Northern Idaho, but about 500 descendants of Chief Joseph's Wallowa band now belong to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Eastern Washington.
Additional Information… • On the Nez Perce Indians
Hunting • The Nez Perce also made seasonal trips for hunting and trading into Montana and Wyoming. • The Nez Perce fought to keep water, fishing, and hunting rights.
Change in Hunting Methods • The horses changed the Nez Perce's culture forever. The horses enabled them to hunt buffalo easily, and the Nez Perce soon became known throughout the Northwest for their hunting skills and craftsmanship. These new found skills allowed the Nez Perce to trade for goods and services.
Appaloosa Breed • The Appaloosa breed was originally bred in the Inland Northwest of America by the Nez Perce Indians. Before the horse had been introduced to them, the Nez Perce were sedentary fishermen.
Horses • The Nez Perce became well known for their large herds of fine horses.
Appaloosa • The Nez Perce were the only Native Americans known to selectively breed their horses. The horses were bred to be strong, fast, sure-footed, and intelligent mounts. A short mane and tail were bred into the horses so that they could not easily be caught in brush.
Lewis’s Journal Writing • Meriwether Lewis wrote the following of the Nez Perce's horses, in his diary on Feb. 15, 1806 : "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race; they are lofty, elegantly [sic] formed, active and durable…some of these horses are pided with large spots of white irregularly scattered and intermixed with black, brown, bey [sic] or some other dark color."
Pierced Noses? • Meaning of Common Name: Pierced Noses - Name given by French interpreters traveling with Lewis & Clark on 1805 expedition. It probably referred to a neighboring tribe called Chinook Indians, who did pierce their noses. This was not a common practice among the Nez Perce, but the name stuck.
Traditions- Camas Root Camas, a relative of the lily family, has been gathered by the Nez Perce for generations. The bulbs are rich in protein and are still prepared and blessed according to traditional practices.
Pictographs • There are 112 pictographs left by the Nez Perce ancestors, in addition to well-worn trails down the Hells Canyon's steep walls.
Nez Perce Language • Number of fluent speakers: Nez Perce is spoken to some degree by about 600 in Idaho, but fluent Nez Perce is spoken by only sixty to seventy elders. Only a handful of elders still speak the Lower River dialect. All fluent speakers are older adults. Nez Perce is being taught in Nespelem, Washington and at Lewis-Clark State College at Lewiston, Idaho.
Resources: • http://search.aol.com/aol/search?s_it=topsearchbox.search&q=+Salmon+canyon+pictures • http://www.altavista.com/image/results?pg=q&stype=simage&imgset=2&q=tepee&avkw=aapt • http://www.nezperce.org/History/ChiefJosephPhotos.htm http://www.picsearch.com/info.cgi?q=Nez%20Perce%20%20Tribe %20land%20&id=MHWjsr1kviJw2kGiL16FrNVBW75-VHFzTfRPFuZeiYghttp://www.picsearch.com/info.cgi?q=Nez%20Perce%20%20Tribe%20land%20&id=UdknkY-keRNXWuWxnTiWa0nAesCalZj3S2ma8L0DirE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WhiteBirdPhilKonstantin.jpg
