Nez Perce
The name Nez Perce (nayz piers)
actually represents many distinct tribes with many cultural differences that
all existed together peacefully, and for that reason they are usually thought
of as being one tribe. The words Nez Perce mean "those with pierced
noses." It is a misnomer given to the band of Indians by Lewis and Clark
during their travels across the country. The real tribal name is
Nimiipuu (Nee-Me-Poo).
These culturally diverse people have never practiced piercing in their
ceremonies or in daily life. They were mistaken for another tribe that lived
farther south and did practice piercing in their religious ceremonies. Land: The homeland of the Nez Perce Indians includes open lands of the northwest. They traditionally traveled as
far as the Great Plains during the hunting season.
The Nez Perce land was cut to 138,000 acres after the treaties brought
by the Union army were enforced. Approximately 17,000,000 acres of Nez Perce
land was taken by white settlers moving westward. Despite this huge loss of
land, the Nez Perce today, still tie everything to their landscape. Their
calendar, religion, and legends are all interwoven with the nature that
surrounds them. As one Nez Perce Indian said, "It’s a land defined by
weather, etched by rivers, and freed from time."
Religion: Many Nez Perce
have adapted to new ways of life and new religions over time, but the old Nez
Perce faith is still quite alive and is passed down from generation to
generation through stories and fables. For the Nez Perce, the physical and
spiritual aspects of life and nature are never separated. This is evident in
their colorful celebrations and ceremonies. This way of life and these
philosophies are still taught today on the reservations and in the surrounding
schools.Government: Law, order, and compliance have always been an integral
part of Nez Perce life. Today, there is a council of nine members which forms
the governing board and handles many aspects of reservation life. In the old
days, however, this committee was non-existent. The Nez Perce lived under a
chief system of government. One of the most famous chiefs, Chief Joseph
(Hin-ma-toe-yah-laht-khit) was the leader of the Nez Perce during the middle
and late 1800’s when trouble with the white immigrants started.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Nez Perce.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Nez Perce, your feedback is much appreciated.
Official Site of the Nez Perce Tribe: http://www.nezperce.org/content/
University of Idaho-Nez Perce Tribes: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/idahonatives/nez/
Resources:
http://members.stratos.net/cpetras/np-2-2.htm
http://www.indians.org/welker/joseph.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/npnht/ Official
website for the Nez Perce National Historic Trail.
Written by: Adam
Kittelson |
