 A sedentary fishing tribe in the plateau and mountain country of central Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington, the Nez Perces were transformed by the acquisition of the horse into a tribe which hunted on the Plains and assimilated much of the buffalo culture. In the mountains their traditional enemies were the Shoshonis; on the Plains they fought the Sioux and allied with the Crows. They were outstanding horsemen, and perhaps their most notable accomplishments were in horse breeding and in their development, through selective breeding, of that wonderful spotted breed, the Appaloosa. The Nez Perce prowess as stockmen was unsurpassed. They were probably the only American Indians to practice selective horse-breeding without the help of the white man. Lewis and Clark found them in possession of thousands of high-quality Appaloosa horses. The horses were used for racing, fighting, traveling, and hunting. The joy of horse ownership was widespread. Later, the Nez Perce also became excellent cattle ranchers. They constituted the principal branch of the Shahaptian linguistic family inhabiting the Columbia Plateau. Legends of the People imply that tribal claims upon their area of occupation are ancient. Their language is closely related to the Umatilla, Wallawalla, and Yakima, of Washington and Oregon. They refer to themselves variously as Nimipu, Tsutpeli, and Kamuinu, each name signifying "the people". Lewis and Clark called them "Chopunnish". French-Canadian traders probably called a branch of them "nez perce", which means "pierced nose". The misnomer has clung to them ever since. Physically, they were (and are) very handsome. Tall, stately, and energetic, the people Lewis and Clark encountered were friendly, pleasant, and very much inclined toward peace, with "cheerful, agreeable countenance". Self-respect and personal dignity were fostered by belief in a guardian spirit, or Wyakin power, which gave the People a personal direction and a common feeling of destiny. Their standards of honor and truthfulness were exceptional. Until exposure to the white man, The People derived their apparel and foods from what was at hand. Clothing was made from animal skins. The men wore breechcloths, leggings, shirt, moccasins, and blanket. Women generally wore long, loose gowns, also made of skins. Inner garments were made of bark fibers; millinery consisted of fez-shaped basketry caps. The most important basic food was the camas bulb. These nutritious bulbs can be roasted in pits, pounded into a mash, made into loaves, cooked again, and stored for future use. Other edible roots were cowish, bitterroot, carum, wild carrot, cow parsnip, berries, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, lichens, and inner bark of trees. Hunting was good, with plenty of elk, deer, antelope, sheep, goats, fowl, and rabbits. Bears, foxes, coyotes, and wolves were also available to the hunters. The family home was generally conical in shape, and covered with rush mats. In the wintertime, these huts might be erected over excavations several feet deep. Large gabled lodges could also be found, where meetings were held, or several families could live together. These "long houses" were built with great care, and had A-shaped roofs of cattail or tule mats, reaching to the ground. A Long House might be 120 feet in length, and contain twenty fireplaces, to house 100 people or more, or an entire village. Bison robes and other skins provided warmth and decoration. In 1877, the U.S. Government ordered all Nez Perces out of the Wallowa Valley in Oregon onto the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho. The order was in complete violation of the agreement of 1873 which restricted the Wallowa Valley from white settlement. Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perces were given thirty days to remove themselves and all their possesions by General Oliver Howard. Joseph thought this to be impossible, and asked for more time. "If you let the time run over one day," replied Howard, "the soldiers will be there to drive you onto the reservation, and all your cattle and horses outside of the reservation at that time will fall into the hands of the white men." A council was held and they decided to move immediately. "The white men were many and we could not hold our own with them. We were like deer. They were like grizzly bears. We had a small country. Their country was large. We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit made them. They were not, and would change the rivers if they did not suit them". Upon General Howard's order, in 1877, Chief Joseph and his small band of Nez Perces vacated their ancient home of the Wallowa Valley and began their journey to the Lapwai Reservation. Before reaching their destination, however, collisions with white settlers took place, causing the Nez Perces to go on the warpath where the whites were severely beaten.
Oratory was a highly developed art amoung the Nez Perces, for on this depended much of the power and prestige of the chiefs. Chief Joseph's surrender speech is perhaps the most famous and most admired of all such speeches. "Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before I have in my heart. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." Ollokot was Chief Joseph's brother. He was killed along with many others in the Nez Perce battle of September 1877. Ollokot's surviving widow, Wetatonmi, spoke the following words upon the occasion of leaving the tribe's land the night of Chief Joseph's surrender, just after Joseph had been defeated in battle. "It was lonesome, the leaving. Husband dead, friends buried or held prisoners. I felt that I was leaving all that I had but I did not cry. You know how you feel when you lose kindred and friends through sickness--death. You do not care if you die. With us it was worse. Strong men, well women and little children killed and buried. They had not done wrong to be so killed. We had only asked to be left in our own homes, the homes of our ancestors. Our going was with heavy hearts, broken spirits. But we would be free....All lost, we walked silently on into the wintry night." On January 14, 1879, Chief Joseph addressed a large gathering of cabinet members and congressmen. He appealed to President Hayes to allow what was left of his tribe, whose members were dying by the score, to return to their old territory in the Northwest. His appeal was ultimately successful, and in 1883, a small party of women and children were allowed to go back to their old home. Joseph was never granted this privilege and spent his remaining days on the Colville Reservation at Nespelim, Washington. He died there September 21, 1904. "----I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. Too many misinterpretations have been made; too many misunderstandings have come up between the white men about the Indians.
Before Joseph could be returned to his beloved Wallowa country, his spirit departed. Dr. Latham, a physician at the Nespelem agency, where Joseph was being held prisoner, reported that Joseph died of a broken heart, while sitting before his teepee fire.
On June 12, 1956, the Chief Joseph Dam, on the Columbia River, near Bridgeport Washington, was officially named and dedicated. The speakers included federal and tribal leaders. Erskine Wood paid tribute to Chief Joseph, in part, by these words: "The People were happy in their leader.......There was no hatred in his soul in spite of the wrongs our race had done him........He was a man of true magnanimity". First People of America and Canada : Turtle Island Child friendly site about American and Canadian Indians. 1400+ legends, 400+ agreements and treaties, 10,000+ pictures, free clipart, Pueblo pottery, American Indian jewelry, Native American Flutes and more. |
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