Nez Perce

The Nez Perce are a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. Like most American Indian tribes, their name for themselves, Nimiipuu, simply means “The People.” The name Nez Perce, or Pierced Nose, derives from a misnomer. When the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition first encountered them, their translator misunderstood the Indians’ reference to a tribe farther down the Columbia River who practiced nose piercing. The name nevertheless took hold and has survived into modern times. With a population of approximately 6,000, the Nez Perce were once the largest of the Columbian River Plateau tribes. However, by the early 19th century, war and infectious diseases introduced by Europeans decimated their numbers, as they had done to so many other tribes throughout the Americas. For food, they survived primarily by fishing in the Columbia River and its tributaries. Digging and roasting or boiling the bulbs of the quamash plant were, and remain, a primary food source.

With the introduction of horses by the Spanish, the Nez Perce became renowned among other tribes for their skill at both using and breeding them. Hunting on horseback greatly expanded their range, and they were able to join other Plains tribes in making the buffalo their primary food source. Extensive trade relations existed with many other Indian tribes. Initially, encounters with Europeans were peaceful and trade flourished. However, the never-ceasing westward movement of Americans ultimately led to a clash of cultures. The Americans violated treaties made with all of the Plains tribes, including the Nez Perce. The tribe divided over the white men's insistence that the Indians must live on reservations. Rather than succumb, Chief Joseph attempted to lead his band to Canada, but in spite of incredibly courageous and effective resistance on the part of a few hundred warriors, the far superior U.S. Army doggedly pursued and captured them.

Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War

The Nez Perce War is one of the most heroic yet heartbreaking chapters in the history of the American west. In 1855, the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Nez Perce, guaranteeing the tribe possession of much of their traditional territory. With the discovery of gold on tribal lands and floods of settlers coming from the east, the Americans wanted a new treaty. In the treaty of 1863, the Nez Perce reservation shrank from nearly 8 million acres to 780,000 acres. In exchange for their land, the Indians received medical care and a hospital, schools, supplies, and financial compensation.

An 1897 portrait of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe. Chief Joseph the Younger led a protest of the treaty of 1863, which had taken millions of acres for the United States, shrinking the Nez Perce reservation from nearly 8 million to 780,000 acres.

The Nez Perce divided into two groups: those who agreed with the treaty and those who did not. One of the areas lost by the treaty was the Wallowa Valley, home to the band of Chief Joseph [Page 1614]the Elder. He refused to leave, saying, “Inside this boundary all our people were born. It circles the graves of our fathers, and we will never give up these graves to any man.”

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