Nez Perce

The Nimi'ipuu or Nez Perce people have lived, worked, and traveled on the Columbia Plateau for thousands of years. One of a number of Sahaptin-speaking Native communities living on the Columbia Plateau, the Nez Perce lived principally on the eastern edges of this geographic area. At the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804–1806, the Nez Perce population was estimated at around 4,000 to 6,000 people. The Nez Perce homeland stretched from present-day northern Idaho to southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. Most Nez Perce lived in semipermanent villages and towns located mainly along streams and rivers in the region. During a large part of the year, the people in these communities moved from place to place exploiting food sources like camas, khouse, berries, salmon, deer, elk, and a number of other plants and animals.

The Columbia Plateau is a unique geographic region, principally known for its aridity and undulating hills cut through by the Columbia River. This region was not particularly suited to consistent human habitation, yet many Native peoples, including the Nez Perce, survived and thrived in the region. Donald Meinig, author of one of the most influential studies on the Columbia Plateau, noted that the landscape and climate of the region shaped the human geography of the area. The lack of large game animals, like the buffalo, and the minimal small game and plant life, made subsistence on the plateau very difficult. The one source of consistent food lay in the rivers of the region—the Columbia and Snake Rivers and their tributaries. Annually these rivers carried millions of salmon to their spawning grounds and provided Native peoples in the region with one of their most [Page 477]important sources of food. The patterns of life on the plateau created a situation where Native peoples like the Nez Perce used the region in a seasonal pattern. Wintering on the fringes of the plateau, where there was less snow and the temperatures were warmer, the Nez Perce prepared for the seasonal round that occurred during the spring, summer, and fall months.

The seasonal round, as practiced by the Nez Perce, formed the basis for survival and activity throughout the year. Each season required strenuous effort in order for communities to survive during the winter. With the arrival of spring, generally marked by the first Chinook salmon run, Nez Perce people moved from their villages to fishing sites, harvested the fish, and then moved on to other sites where women could harvest spring roots for eating and storage. Among the favorites were camas, bitterroot, khouse, wild carrot, and wild onion. The concentration of these roots in specific locations led to the interaction of many different Indian communities. For example, in places like the Weippe Prairie in present-day northern Idaho, Nez Perce, Palouse, and other communities met to gather roots and interact on a social, political, and cultural basis. Horse racing, gambling, games, storytelling, arranging of weddings, and many other activities occurred during these times.

By late June and early July, the rivers in the region dropped sufficiently to expose summer runs of salmon, and Nez Perce people, along with many other Native groups in the region, returned to fishing sites to harvest them. When the runs lessened, women switched their subsistence activities to gathering plants and berries while men hunted deer, rabbits, birds, and other small animals. In the late summer months, starting in mid-August, families moved to camps located in the high country surrounding the Columbia Plateau and started harvesting the very rich black mountain huckleberry fields, often remaining there until the beginning of October. As the late fall approached, the Nez Perce returned to their winter villages and prepared for this season by laying in as much food stores as possible, including last minute hunting and fishing.

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