MYTHOLOGIES OF THE NEZ PERCE TRIBE
NEZ PERCE LITERATURE
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/nezperce.htm
TA’C ‘ÉETX PAPÁAYN
(WELCOME)
“m_lac “_te tit_qan nim_pu hiw_ke waq_pa”
(A long time ago, the Nimipu people were not many in number)
Chief Joseph’s Home Page
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekht has spoken.
The Chief Joseph Foundation
P. O. Box 413
Lapwai, Idaho 83540
Contact: Bonnie Ewing at (208) 843-7175.
It is time that the newcomers to this country
started paying proper respect to the elder status of the first nations.”
THE FLIGHT OF THE NEZ PERCE
In 1877, the United States government seized the ancestral lands of the Nez Perce Indians and ordered them to move to a reservation in Idaho. A band led by the charismatic Chief Joseph reluctantly complied, but after a group of disgruntled warriors killed several white settlers, the tribe found itself at war with the U.S. Army. What followed was one of the greatest fighting retreats in military history. Hoping to find sanctuary in Canada, the Nez Perce led their pursuers on a 1,400-mile chase across Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Despite numbering just 700—only around 200 of whom were warriors—they outmaneuvered or defeated some 2,000 U.S. cavalrymen in multiple battles and skirmishes. General William Tecumseh Sherman later noted that the Indians “fought with almost scientific skill, using advance and rear guards, skirmish lines and field fortifications.” Finally, after 15 weeks on the run, the Nez Perce were cornered after October 1877’s Battle of Bear Paw and forcibly moved to a reservation. They were just 40 miles from the Canadian border. “My heart is sick and sad,” Chief Joseph said in a famous surrender speech. “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
Otis Halfmoon, Nez Perce
“The earth is our mother. She should not be disturbed by hoe or plough. We want only to subsist on what she freely gives us.”
“Every animal knows more than you do. White men have too many chiefs. Learn how to talk, then learn how to teach.”
An elder Nez Perce woman expressed the heartfelt Nez Perce distress:
“…we were fools and the white man’s lies made us more foolish.”
White Bird’s sentiments were similar,
“A white man must have no respect for himself. It makes no difference how well he is treated by the Indians, he will take the advantage.”
STORIES
Coyote and the Monster of Kamiah
Also on National Park Service site
OTHER NEZ PERCE HOME PAGES
APPALOOSA HORSE
CHIEF JOSEPH’S SURRENDER SPEECH
FLIGHT OF THE NEZ PERCE
LAND OF THE NEZ PERCE
NEZ PERCE ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
NEZ PERCE BIBLIOGRAPHY
NEZ PERCE INFORMATION & EDUCATION
NEZ PERCE TRIBAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DIRECTORY
For more information about the Nez Perce, please contact:
Leigh Pond, member of the Nez Perce Tribe.
The Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho
P.O. Box 365
Lapwai, ID 83540
(208) 843-2253
Nez Perce National Historical Park
P.O. Box 93
Spalding, ID 83551
(208) 843-2261
consisting of nine members elected by the Tribal General Council.
Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee
P.O. Box 305
Lapwai, ID 83540
To contact Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee
you can email them at: NPTEC@nezperce.org
OFFICE | MEMBER | TERM EXPIRES |
Chairman | May 2015 | |
Vice-Chairman | May 2014 | |
Secretary | May 2016 | |
Treasurer | May 2014 | |
Asst. Sec./Treasurer | May 2014 | |
Chaplain | May 2016 | |
Member | May 2015 | |
Member | May 2015 | |
Member | May 2016 |
The current governmental structure is modeled after the Anglo system and is based on a constitution adopted by the tribe in 1961. The NPTEC is obligated to protect the health and welfare of the Nez Perce people. This means protecting and preserving treaty rights and tribal sovereignty, Nez Perce culture, and the general environment of the reservation.
Tribal headquarters are located in Lapwai, Idaho.
| Resources | Chair / Phone |
| Human Resources | Lee Bourgeau, HR Director |
| Law & Order/Intergovernmental | Leslie Hendricks, Chief |
| Natural Resources | Phone: 208-843-7400 |
| Administration Department | Phone: 208-843-7389 |
| Tribal Court | Phone: 208-843-7338 |
| Department Of Fisheries | Phone: 208 843-7320 Ext #1 |
To contact Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee you can email them at: NPTEC@nezperce.org
There was an article in The New York Times, July 22, 1998, entitled
“Expelled in 1877, Indian Tribe Now Wanted as Resource”
by Timothy Egan, from Joseph, Oregon
Germans appreciate the sacredness of Wallowa Lake and the small Nez Perce (Sahaptin) cemetery there and think it could become a money-making tourist attraction. There is a Chief Joseph Days rodeo that some Nez Perce began attending about ten years ago, setting up a powwow on the grounds. Now the powwow gets more attention than the rodeo.
“They’re opening the door for the trail home — I never thought I’d see the day,” said Earl (Taz) Conner, one of about 4,000 Nez Perce in North America. Conner is a direct descendant of Old Chief Joseph, for whom this town is named and whose burial site is a prime tourist attraction here in the Wallowa Valley, in northeastern Oregon. “
It is really ironic, asking us Indians to return after booting us out of there in 1877.”
After broken treaties, constant wars, humilating surrender after a 1600 mile march, etc., in 1877 the remaining Nez Perce were scattered from Canada to Oklahoma but never allowed to return to the Wallowa Valley. The son of Chief Joseph, Young Joseph, was the leader of the tribe at the time of surrender. He died in 1904 of a broken heart and was buried in eastern Washington. Conner’s great-grandfather Ollokot fought in the war, and he says he noticed an attitude change a couple of years ago when the Wallowa economy crashed.
“I was working for the Forest Service, the only Indian walking around there, and I was approached by this economic development guy from the city of Wallowa,” Conner recalled. “He said he thought the Indians could save this county. I had to laugh at that.”
Connor’s, a Navy Vet, who knows the Nez Perce are more appreciated overseas than in Oregon. “I was in Spain once, and this guy said to me, ‘You’re Indian, right? What are you, Sioux?’ I told him I was Nez Perce, and his face lit up. He said, ‘Nez Perce! Chief Joseph.” Connor says, “We’re pretty close to being home.”
$250,000 has already been raised to build a Nez Perce cultural and interpretive center on 160 acres on a river bluff just outside Wallowa, and the locals are looking for more money.
Nez Perce Soy Redthunder, a descendant of Joseph who lives on the Colville Indian Reservation where Young Joseph is buried, said, “The whites may look at it as a economic plus, but we look at it as homecoming.” Because anti-Indian sentiment lingers in the valley, Redthunder says “I don’t think we want to rush in there and take over the county, but I see a serious effort to return the Nez Perce people to the Wallowa Valley.”
“We’re just bunch of white folks — we didn’t have a clue at first,” said Terry Crenshaw, one of the leaders behind the effort to build a cultural and interpretive center.
Written by: Starborn
NEZ PERCE LANGUAGE
NEZ PERCE FAMILY TREE
Paternal | Maternal |
| Kalat’sa = Grandfather | Pilak’a = Grandfather |
| El’e = Grandmother | Kat’sa = Grandmother |
| Piimx = Uncle | Piitx = Uncle |
| Pist = Father (aka Tota’ = daddy) | Pik’e = Mother (aka It’sa = mommy) |
| Pisis = Aunt (aka T’sit’sa) | Pek’ex = Aunt (aka Kek’e) |
male | sister |
| Piyep = Older Brother | Pehet = Older Sister |
Ask’up = Younger brother of male | K’anis = Younger sister to |
Pekt = Brother to older sister | At’sip = Sister to older |
Yatsa = Informal for older brother | Nene’ = Older sister |
At sk’a = Informal for younger brother | Ayi = Younger sister of female |
Note: The terms for cousins are the same as those for brother and sister.
The Nez Perce people lived with the season and not by the months.
Here is a list of seasons with corresponding months as they apply:
| Wilupup = January | Time of cold weather, blizzards. |
| Alat’amal = February | Freezing weather, difficult to maintain |
| firesLatit’al = March | Season of first bloom of plants. New life begins. |
| Q’oyxt’sal = April | Season of high rivers from melting snow. |
| Q’eq’iit’al = May | Season of first root, Q’eqiit harvest.Hiilal |
| Tustimasat’al = June
| Season of moving to higher elevation to harvest roots. Season of bluebark return. |
| Taya’al = July | Season of Tayam (hot) days of summer. |
| Wawam’mayq’al = August
| Season of Chinook Salmon return. Salmon reach the upper tributary streams to spawn |
| Piq’unmayq’al = September
| Nat’soxiwal Season of fish return to rivers for cold weather. |
| Hoplal = October | Season of cold weather. Tamarack turn yellow. |
| Sexliwal = November
| The buck deer ‘running’. Large animals mate. Season of leaves/plants discolor. |
| Haoq’oy = December | Season of doe carrying fetus. No hunting of female game. |
NEZ PERCE WORDS FOR OTHER PEOPLES OF THE AREA.
NEZ PERCE WORD | MEANING |
| T’septitimeni’n (T’Sap-tee-te-ma-nihn) | Cheyenne/”Painted Arrows” |
| Sosona’ (So-so-nah, aka Tewelk’a) | Shoshone |
| Sat’sashipuun (Saw-t’sas-ahs-he-nim-poo) | Chippewa/”Porcupine Eaters” |
| Se’lix (Sa-leekh) | Salish/Flathead |
| Issq-oykinix (Iss-k’oy-ke-nikh) | Blackfeet |
| H’elutiin (Hat-loo-teen) | Gros Ventre/”The Big Belly” |
| Iseq’uulkt (E-seh-k’oolkt) | Sioux/”The Throat cutters” |
| Isuuxh’e (E-sookh-ha) | The Crow |
| Q’emespelu (K’e-mes-pa-loo) | Kallispel/”Camas eaters” |
| Papspelu (Pops-pa-loo) | Colvilles/”Fir people” |
| Peluutspu (Pa-loots-poo) | Palouse/Partly Nimiipu |
| Kuuspelu (Koos-pa-loo) | Kootenai/”Water People” |
| Heyeynimu (Ha-yay-nim-moo) | Spokane/”Steelhead people” |
| Hiyuwatalampo (He-yu-wa-tah-lum-po) | Umatilla |
SAYINGS
Yox Kalo’ | That’s all / I’m done |
Manaa wees? | How are you? |
Tats Meywi (Tahts May-we) | Good Morning. |
Tats Halaxp (Tahts Ha-lahkp | Good Afternoon. |
Tats Kulewit(Tahts Koo-la-wit) | Good Evening. |
DAYS OF THE WEEK | |
Halkh-pa-wit’ahs | Before holy/sacred day |
Halkh-pa-wit | Holy/sacred day |
Halkh-pa-wee-nock-it) | After holy/sacred day |
Halxpawit | Sunday |
Halxpawinak’it | Monday |
Lepit leheyn | Tuesday |
Mitat leheyn | Wednesday |
Pilept leheyn | Thursday |
Paxat leheyn | Friday |
Halxpawit’as | Saturday |
La-pit la-hayn | Second day |
Me-tot la-hayn | Third day |
Pe-lapt la-hayn | Fourth Day |
Pok‘hat la-hayn | Fifth Day |
CONTACT US
P.O. Box 305
Lapwai, ID 83540
“An Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a coward.”
The Nez Percé (/ˌnɛzˈpɜːrs/; autonym in Nez Perce language: Nimíipuu, meaning “we, the people”) are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years. Members of the Sahaptin language group, the Nimíipuu were the dominant people of the Columbia Plateau for much of that time, especially after acquiring the horses that led them to breed the appaloosa horse in the 18th century. Like other Plateau tribes, the Nez Perce had seasonal villages and camps to take advantage of natural resources throughout the year. Their migration followed a recurring pattern from permanent winter villages through several temporary camps, nearly always returning to the same locations each year. The Nez Perce traveled via the Lolo Trail (Salish: Naptnišaqs – “Nez Perce Trail”) (Khoo-say-ne-ise-kit) as far east as the Plains (Khoo-sayn / Kuseyn) (“Buffalo country”) of Montana to hunt buffalo (Qoq’a lx) and as far west as the Pacific Coast (’Eteyekuus) (“Big Water”). Before the 1957 construction of The Dalles Dam, which flooded this area, Celilo Falls (Silayloo) was a favored location on the Columbia River (Xuyelp) (“The Great River”) for salmon (lé’wliks)-fishing.
Chief Joseph’s Trail in Idaho and Montana
The Nez Perce (autonym: Niimíipu) are Native American people who live in the Pacific Northwest region (Columbia River Plateau) of the United States. They speak the Nez Perce language or Niimiipuutímt, a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin. Initially successful in their relationships with white settlers, like other Native American tribes they soon found their lands being taken from them. When they were forced to leave their ancestral homeland in Wallowa Valley in Oregon, promised to them at an earlier council, to be relocated in a reservation in Idaho, the Nez Perce resisted and attempted to flee to Canada. They became famous for their “Flight” of over 1,000 miles from Idaho to Montana, ending less than 40 miles from Canada. One of their leaders, Chief Joseph, gave his famous speech as they surrendered, concluding “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”
The Nez Perce people, who in their own language call themselves Niimíípu, is a Native American people associated with the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In the 18th and 19th century, they developed the foundation of the Appaloosa breed. The ancestral lands of the Nez Perce included the Columbia River Plateau, where there are large tracts of terrain ideally suited for horses. The Nez Perce acquired their first horses in the 1730s and set up a breeding program to promote desirable traits in their stock. The Nez Perce / Niimíípu are federally recognized as the Nez Perce Tribe and govern their reservation in Idaho. They are one of five recognized tribes in the state of Idaho. At the 2010 consensus, the tribe included approximately 3,500 members.
The Nez Perce langauge, also known as Niimi’ipuutímt, is a Sahaptian language. Just like all the other Sahaptian languages, it belongs to one branch of the Plateau Penutian family of languages. Today, the Nez Perce language is highly endangered, since it is only spoken fluently by a handful of elders on the Nez Perce and Colville reservations. The tribe is working actively to save the language through a revitalization program. The name that the Nez Perce call themselves is Nimíipuu, which means “The People”. Anthropologists believe that the Nez Perce descended from the Old Cordilleran Culture, which moved from south from the Rocky Mountains, and west into Nez Perce territory, which included parts of Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho. In 1805 the Nez Perce were the largest tribes on the Columbia River Plateau, with a population of about 6,000. There were more than 70 permanent villages ranging from 30 to 200 individuals, depending on the season and social grouping. About 300 total sites have been identified, including both camps and villages.
THE NEZ PERCE lived in IDAHO with family and friends and chief Joseph They used to live in the north west now they live in western Montana The Nez Perce language is called sahapatian Lakes flowed through the Nez Perce land. They went on vision quests They got spirits called wayyakins They thought of earth as their mother They liked dancing and singing. Hunted elk, buffalo, deer and bears Fished for salmon and trout Mostly ate buffalo and trout They hardly hunted bears. Lived in longhouses Lived in dome-shaped houses that they loved to live in. Lived in wigwams too They also lived in teepees. Wore buffalo skin robes Wore moccasins They decorated their clothes with beads and elk teeth plus porcupine quills. Made crafts like baskets They made their own clothes They made sleds for the kids They made these things called issaptakays. Children were very important Loved their family a lot it was very, very important They played a pinecone game.
There is a creation story at the center of every culture. For the Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce, the story of their people begins at the landmark near present day Kamiah, Idaho called timʼné•pe, or Heart of the Monster, where Iceye’ye (coyote) killed a monster who was eating all of the animals. Iceye’ye (pronounced ‘it-see-yi-yi’) was building a fish ladder at Celilo [Falls,Oregon]. He was busy at this when someone shouted to him, “Why are you bothering with that? All of the people are gone” “Well,” said Iceye’ye to himself, “then I’ll stop doing this because I was doing it for the people, and now I’ll go along too. From there he went along upstream, by way of the Salmon River country. Along the way he took a good bath saying to himself, “Lest I make myself repulsive to his taste,” and then dressed himself all up, “Lest he will vomit me up or spit me out.”
A Hard Fight For Their Homeland
Once the largest congregation of tribes in the western United States, the Nez Perce were closely related to the Cayuse, Tenino and Umatilla tribes to their west. The tribe spanned across the open lands of the northwest, primarily in Idaho and Northern Washington, but traveled as far as the Great Plains during the hunting season. The words Nez Perce means “those with pierced noses.” It was a name erroneously given to the tribe by Lewis and Clark on their travels in 1804 and 1805. The actual tribal name is Nee-Me-Poo, who never practiced nose piercing. Lewis and Clark mistook this band of Indians for another tribe living farther south. The Nez Perce tribe actually represents many distinct bands with cultural differences that all existed together peacefully, and for that reason, they are usually thought of as being one tribe. In addition, their languages are closely related, all part of the Sahaptian branch of the Penutian language.
The Nez Perce are a Native American tribe that once lived throughout the Northwest United States including areas of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Today, there is a Nez Perce reservation in Idaho. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Nez Perce lived in spread out villages in the Northwest in relative peace. When horses arrived they began to venture further into the Great Plains to hunt bison. The Nez Perce came into contact with Lewis and Clark on their expedition out west in 1805. Lewis and Clark had nearly starved to death crossing the Bitterroot Mountains, but the Nez Perce gave them food and helped them along in their journey.
Myths of the Nez Percé Indians
The Nez Perce had a strong tradition of spirituality. Before the intervention of the white man, the Nez Perce used mythology to explain life, nature and the supernatural. Nature, to them, was very important. The Nez Perce believed that the Earth was part of their body and therefore, they belonged to the land from which they came. They believed that the Earth was their mother and that the Great Spirit, or Hanyawat, was the maker of all things. Hanyawat was the Chief Spirit, an almighty proprietor and creator of the universe. Everything on Earth, and otherwise, was created and placed there by the Great Spirit. Therefore, it was the responsibility of the Nez Perce to take care of the Earth and protect it. They believed that by leading an Earth-conscious life they would live on after death in an afterworld. Another way of reaching this afterworld is by conducting rituals and ceremonies, which recognized, celebrated and worshiped the spirits around them. Properly observed rituals and the protection of Earth will result in their soul reaching the afterworld, where they will live on for eternity.
Origin Story Of The Nez Percé Tribe Name
The Nez Percé tribe, which now calls itself the Nimiipuu people, are a sovereign Native American nation that once held extensive territory in the lands that are now divided among Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the United States of America. Their expeditions for hunting, fishing and trade also frequently brought them into regions of Montana and Wyoming. Before the Nimiipuu came in contact with frontiersmen of the United States, they had already encountered French explorers, fur traders and missionaries. It was from these Frenchmen that the Nez Percé name was coined. Chief Joseph, one of the most famous leaders in the tribe’s history, recorded an origin story of the name in his remarkable account of the brief, but dramatic, Nez Percé War, which occurred in 1877. In his text, Chief Joseph’s Own Story, Chief Joseph introduced his tribe as the “Chute-pa-lu” people, but he went on to describe that the French, “called our people ‘Nez Percés,’ because they wore rings in their noses for ornaments. Although very few of our people wear them now, we are still called by the same name” (Chief Joseph’s Own Story, paragraph 4). Nez Percé translates to “Pierced Nose” in French, referencing the nose ornaments mentioned in Chief Joseph’s account. Curiously, this might have been a case of misidentification by the French. As was reported by Chief Joseph in his account, it was rare to find one of his people with a pierced nose, and it has been argued that the Nez Percé people, despite their French label, never traditionally wore nose ornaments.
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