Learning About the Nez Perce by Amy

                Do you know what Indian tribe believed in supernatural powers? Well, it was the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce was known for their lifestyle, war, traditions, beliefs, and how they live today. The Nez Perce Indians were a tribe that tried to live in peace but had to keep moving and even fight to finally find a peaceful place to live.

                The Nez Perce Indians have been known by different names. Their name for themselves was “nee-mee-poo.” When white men came to their land and saw the decorations in their noses, they started to call them by the name of “pierced nose.” The white men brought with them horses which was a great help to the Nez Perce. The horses were highly valued by the Nez Perce because they helped out by making traveling easier and made them better hunters. Two of the most famous white men to come to the area were Lewis and Clark. They met the Nez Perce around 1805. Lewis and Clark’s group were very weak and hungry. The Nez Perce gave them food, helped them make canoes and led them toward the Pacific Ocean. In return the Nez Perce got gifts from Lewis and Clark like cloth, ribbons, and peace medals. When European-Americans came to their land ,they didn’t get along because they tried to change the religion of the Nez Perce (Stout).

                When the other white men came to their land, they made an agreement to live on a thirteen million acre reservation, called the Wallowa Valley, if they would let them live in peace. After a while miners came to the reservation and found gold. A man named General Oliver Otis Howard wanted the Nez Perce to move, so three angry warriors raided a white settlement and killed four white men. The Nez Perce finally agreed to avoid fighting the U.S. Army. The Nez Perce went to White Bird Canyon and the U.S. Army followed them. The U.S. Army attacked them and was beaten by the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce War had officially begun. Finally the Nez Perce said they would surrender if they could return to the reservation (Abbott).

                No matter where the Nez Perce lived the one thing that they always took with them was their beliefs and traditions. They believed that all living things had spirits that lived in harmony with nature. Supernatural powers were very important to the Nez Perce tribe, and they believed that the powers or visions were received through dreams. The people that followed the traditional beliefs were called dreamers. Young children learned these beliefs from their grandparents. Teenage boys went on a vision quest to find their helping spirit called Wyakin. Teenage girls also went on a vision quest but became an adult at the age of twelve or thirteen. They were then considered ready for marriage which was arranged by the families (Trafer).

                The Nez Perce today live on Lapwai-Kamiah reservations. Their population has gone from six thousand to thirty-three hundred. The Nez Perce opened a sixteen million dollar fish hatchery where they raise and release salmon. They do some farming and harvest timber. They own different types of stores, but their main income comes from casinos. Some of the Nez Perce people have become authors. In 1986, the congress decided to name a trail after the Nez Perce Tribe. It goes from Wallowa Valley to Bears Paw Mountains in Montana. It is a national historic trail (Waldmen).

                The Nez Perce had a hard time because they didn’t want to fight, but they also didn’t want to leave their land. Although the Nez Perce ended up leaving their land for a reservation, they brought with them their traditions and beliefs to pass on to future generations. I think that it would be hard being the Nez Perce and having to give up your home land. The Nez Perce Indians were a tribe that tried to live in peace but had to keep moving and even fight to finally find a peaceful place to live.

This is the Nez Perce tribal flag. They made it out of cloth.

Works Cited

Abbott, Kathryn A. “Indian Wars.” World Book Online Reference Center, 2008. 10 Nov. 2008      <http://wwww.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar275020.>

Stout, Mary. Nez Perce. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2003.

Trafer, Clifford E. “Faiths, Spirits, and Missions.” Nez Perce Indians of North America. New York: Chelsea

House Publishers, 1992. (Updated 2008). American History Online.

http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp.

Waldmen, Carl, “Nez Perce.” Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition. New York: 2006.

<http://               www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?.>

                               The Nez Perce by Lexi

      Do you know why this group were called Nez Perce? Do you know why these native Americans were kicked out of their own land? Do you know why we broke the treaty? The Nez Perce is known for their life style, food, their beliefs and hard times. 

                Nez Perce is French for pierced nose. Before the tribe got this name, they called themselves "nee-mee-poo.”  It meant "the people." They learned to ride horses. They were the best known for riding horses. One of their arrows can take down a thousand pound beast. They would kill and burn down settlers homes. The boys would hunt and the girls would cook the food they found. The boys learned to be a father, husband, hunter, and warrior.

                The foods that were most popular were buffalo and fish. Water took up 80% of their land. The women would gather berries, wild onions, carrots, nuts, grasses, and herbs. They also dried up fish in the sun, or they would smoke or fry them. Some of the fish was stored away for the winter. In the later June and July, a wild lilly called camas was in bloom. The camas looked like onions but they tasted sweeter. They would also eat elk.

Corn Bread

                The Nez Perce beliefs were important. They celebrated important events like “Day of the Dead” at cemeteries. They would call May Ah-lah- Ahl. It means “The time for digging roots.” They enjoyed winter because they would have a winter dance. They believe that when a boy turned thirteen, he needed to be left in the mountains for a week to learn how to survive on his own. They believe that everybody made their own decisions and they respected the women’s opinions as well as the mens’s opinions. They believe that when they wrote a letter it was called "talking paper." Beaver fur was made into hats as well as clothing.   

                There were a lot of hard times for the Nez Perce. They had a lot of trouble finding food. The food that was most hard to find was meat. They used to hunt on foot looking for deer, elk, bear, and mountain goats. They were kicked out of their own land because there was gold. They had a treaty with the United States. They started to steal animals and building tools. The U.S. would steal their best animal: the beaver. They would use beavers to make hats, pants, and dresses. They decided to start a war. The war went for a long time. The U.S signed a treaty again, and they were not able to kick them out of their land again. The Nez Perce is known for a lot of things as you can see. So now that I told you everything now you know everything about them.

     In conclusion, the Nez Perce tribe is known for being the best for riding horses, and their beliefs were very important to them like “Day of the Dead,” and the U.S. broke the treaty because there was gold on their land.  

Works Cited

King, David.     The Nez Perce.  New, York, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008.

Press, Pretra. The Nez Perce. Minnesota: Corporation, 2002.

Nelson, Ted & Sharlene The Nez Perce. Washington Dc, 2003.

Waldam, Carl.  The Nez Perce. New York:  Children's Press, 2008.

Last Updated: 12/16/08