Contents Homelands 4 Society 6 Homes 8 Food 10 Clothing 12 Crafts 14 Family 16 Children 18 Traditions 20 War 22 Contact with Europeans 24 Young Chief Joseph 26 The Nez Perce Today 28 Glossary 30 Online Resources 31 Index 32
CHAPTER 1 Homelands The Nez Perce ness purse lived on the Columbia Plateau where present-day Oregon Washington and Idaho come together This region is also known as the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest is cold in the winter Large snowdrifts made travel difficult and dangerous During the winter the Nez Perce moved down from the mountains into the warmer canyons The Nez Perce homelands included around 17 million acres 6 9 million ha They stretched west toward the Cascade Mountains and east toward the Rocky Mountains The Nez Perce believe that they have lived in this region since the beginning of time They call themselves the Nimi’ipu nee-me-poo It means the people The Nimi’ipu speak a Sahaptin language 4
The Pacific Northwest has mountains canyons forests and swift streams and rivers
