The Nez Perce called themselves Numiipu, or "the people." The tribe occupied a territoy that took in much of the land drained by the Snake River in present-day north central Idaho, northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
In 1805, the tribe saved the lives of the starving explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who called the Indians "Nez Perces," which means pierced noses in French. They have been referred to by that name ever since.
In 1855, Isaac Stevens, the governor of Washington Territory, negotiated a treaty with the tribe that created a 7.5 million-acre reservation. Some of the tribe accepted the treaty, but others didn't. Those who resisted were lead by the famous men Chief Joseph and White Bird. When a group of Nez Perce men attacked some white settlers, the Nez Perce War of 1877 began. Eventually, Chief Joseph would surrender, uttering the famous phrase, "I will fight no more forever." He and his descendents settled in central Washington, but the rest of the Nez Perce went to live in the area near modern day Lapwai.
The tribes original land base of 7.5 million acres was reduced to 750,000 acres in the Treaty of 1863 and then reduced to one-tenth that size by the 1893 Dawes Act. 90% of the people currently living within the reservation boundaries are not tribal members. This has created tension over taxation and employment issues.
The Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee sets policy for the tribe, but reports to the General Council, which is made up of all the enrolled member, now over 3,300 people. The tribe has a budget of over $2 million, and has a goal the reacquisition of tribal lands and water rights.
- More information can be found at:
- Nez Perce Tribe's web page
- Sacred Journey of the Nez Perce