Nez Perce

Nez Perce, Native American group that formerly occupied a large territory in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and central Idaho. The Nez Perce are the most numerous group of related tribes that speak Sahaptian languages (see Native American languages). The name Nez Perce (French for “pierced nose”) was mistakenly given to the tribe by French explorers. The French encountered people in the region who wore nose pendants, but these people actually belonged to another tribe. The Nez Perce did not pierce their noses or wear ornaments.

The Nez Perce followed an economy based on fishing, especially salmon, and on vegetable staples such as the bulbs of the camas plant, wild roots, and berries. After about 1700 they also kept horses and hunted buffalo. In winter they lived along riverbanks in villages of long houses built of bark, mats, and skins; in summer they camped in the mountains and in the great upland camas meadows. They practiced some weaving and the decorating of buffalo skins with paint and porcupine quills. Their principal religious ceremony was a dance in honor of the Guardian Spirit, their presiding deity. War dances were also performed. The entire tribe was divided into more than 40 bands, each led by a popularly selected chief. Marriage was generally outside the band, or group. In response to the tribe’s request for instruction in Christianity, a Protestant mission was established at Lapwai, Idaho, in 1837.

In 1855 the Nez Perce made a treaty with the United States, ceding the greater portion of their territory to the U.S. government and receiving a reservation that included the Wallowa Valley in Oregon. When gold was discovered in the region, the tribe was forced to agree to surrender all its lands and to return to a reservation at Lapwai. A band led by Chief Joseph refused to accept the agreement, and in 1877 he was victorious in a battle with federal troops. Joseph then led his band, which included women and children, on a retreat of over 1,600 km (over 1,000 mi), and although pursued by federal troops that greatly outnumbered them, the Native Americans won several battles. About 50 km (about 30 mi) from the safety of the Canadian border, however, Joseph and his band were captured. They were sent to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma where many died. Some of the survivors were later permitted to return to Idaho, where the majority of the tribe now lives on the Nez Perce reservation. Joseph and the remainder were sent to Colville reservation in northern Washington. In the 2000 U.S. census about 4,000 people identified themselves as Nez Perce only; an additional 2,600 people reported being part Nez Perce. The Nez Perce National Historical Park commemorates sites in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington associated with the group’s culture and history.