🐴 Nez Perce People

Who Are the Nez Perce?

The Nez Perce (Nimiipuu, "the People") are a Sahaptin-speaking people of the Columbia Plateau, originally inhabiting 17 million acres across present-day Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Today numbering approximately 3,500 enrolled members in the **Nez Perce Tribe** of Idaho, they are renowned for developing the **Appaloosa horse** breed and for Chief Joseph's legendary 1877 fighting retreat toward Canada. The name "Nez Perce" ("pierced nose" in French) was a European misnomer—nose piercing was rare among them. Their homeland along the Clearwater, Snake, and Salmon rivers provided abundant salmon, camas roots, and eventually the rich grasslands where they became master horse breeders.

The Appaloosa and Horse Culture

The Nez Perce became the finest horse breeders in North America, developing the spotted **Appaloosa** breed that became their trademark. Acquiring horses around 1700, they applied selective breeding practices unusual among Native peoples—gelding inferior stallions and trading away undesirable horses. The result was the Appaloosa: a spotted horse with exceptional endurance, sure-footedness in mountainous terrain, and intelligence. The Palouse River region gave the breed its name. Nez Perce wealth was measured in horses; a family might own hundreds. Horses enabled buffalo hunting on the Plains (an annual migration east of the Rockies), expanded trade networks, and enhanced their military capabilities. After the 1877 war, the US Army deliberately destroyed Nez Perce horse herds, scattering or killing the Appaloosas. The breed nearly went extinct until 20th-century revival efforts; the Nez Perce Tribe today operates an **Appaloosa Horse Program** restoring their equestrian heritage.

Lewis and Clark and Early Relations

The Nez Perce first encountered Americans in September 1805 when the starving Lewis and Clark expedition stumbled out of the Bitterroot Mountains. Nez Perce oral history records debate over whether to kill the strangers, but ultimately they chose hospitality—feeding, sheltering, and guiding the expedition, then caring for their horses over winter. This friendship continued through the fur trade era. The Nez Perce welcomed missionaries in the 1830s, with some converting to Christianity. This openness brought tragedy: an 1855 treaty reduced their territory, then an 1863 "thief treaty" (signed by compliant chiefs without authority) stripped away 90% more, including the Wallowa Valley homeland of Old Joseph's band. Non-treaty Nez Perce, including **Chief Joseph** (Hinmahtooyahlatkekt, "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain") and his followers, refused to recognize this fraudulent agreement, setting the stage for conflict.

The Flight of 1877

The **Nez Perce War** of 1877 was actually a desperate flight for freedom. When the US Army forced non-treaty bands onto the reservation, violence erupted. Rather than submit, approximately 750 Nez Perce—including only 200 warriors, the rest women, children, and elderly—began an epic **1,170-mile retreat** toward Canada, fighting off pursuing armies along the way. Led by Chief Joseph (the diplomatic leader), war chiefs **Looking Glass** and **Ollokot**, and tactical genius **Lean Elk**, they outmaneuvered and defeated US forces in battles at White Bird Canyon, Clearwater, and Big Hole. Their military brilliance—using terrain, flanking maneuvers, and accurate marksmanship—astounded American generals. Just 40 miles from Canada, the Army finally surrounded them. Chief Joseph's surrender speech became immortal: "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." The survivors were sent to Oklahoma; Chief Joseph never saw his homeland again, dying in 1904 still petitioning for his people's return.

Contemporary Nez Perce Tribe

The **Nez Perce Tribe**, headquartered in Lapwai, Idaho, governs a reservation of approximately 770,000 acres (mostly allotted to non-Natives during the Dawes Act era). The tribe has become a leader in **salmon restoration**, operating hatcheries and advocating for dam removal to restore salmon runs devastated by hydroelectric development. Their **Wolf Recovery Program** partnered with federal agencies to restore wolves to central Idaho. The **Nez Perce National Historical Park** preserves 38 sites across four states tracing their history, including the Big Hole Battlefield. Language revitalization addresses the critically endangered Niimiipuutímt language—fewer than 100 fluent speakers remain. The tribe operates Clearwater River Casino and various enterprises. Chief Joseph's legacy remains central: his image appears on the tribe's flag, and annual commemorations honor the 1877 flight. From devastating defeat to modern resurgence, the Nez Perce continue fighting—now for salmon, sovereignty, and cultural survival.

References

• Josephy, A. M. (1965). The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest. Yale University Press.
• West, E. (2009). The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story. Oxford University Press.
• Haines, F. (1955). The Nez Percés: Tribesmen of the Columbia Plateau. University of Oklahoma Press.
• Greene, J. A. (2000). Nez Perce Summer, 1877: The U.S. Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis. Montana Historical Society Press.