Warriors 1
The Nez Percé Warriors
Mr. I. Raghubar
Research Assignment Term 2
18 December 2022
The Nez Percé Tribe:
History, Beliefs and Culture
The Nez Percé (Nimíipuu)were
one of the largest indigenous tribes
of the northern plateau. Prior to
contact with the Europeans, they
were highly influential in trade and
war. Today they are a federally
recognized tribe with a huge
reservation in Idaho. However, very
little word is out there about the
heroic battle of Bear Paw, or what
fishes the Nez Percé relied on for
food. In this paper, I, along with the
members of The Nez Percé
Warriors will talk about the
historic Nez Percé, their history,
culture, beliefs and the Flight of The
Nez Percé.
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History
\
Contributed by Abdulrehman Ismail
The Nez Perce people were first
discovered on the tenth of
September 1805. It happened when
a member of the Lewis and Clark
(John Colter) expedition met them
at a place called Lolo Creek. The
Nez Perce people would stay with
the expedition until the twenty-fifth
of October 1805.They would join
again on the 23rd of April 1806 and
stay with the expedition until the 4th
of July 1806.
Name and Origin
The expedition called the tribe
the Nez Perce tribe. The name Nez
Perce is from the French word nez
perce meaning pierced nose. The
Nez Perce people however called
themselves Nimiipuu meaning “the
people”. Even though they liked to
be called by their real name “the
people” They are now known as
the “Nez Perce people.”
Above: William Clark and Meriwether Lewis
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Land
Contributed by
Abdulrehman Ismail
The Nez
Perce people
lived in what is
now Idaho,
Oregon, and
Washington.
They occupied
this land and
even moved freely in parts what is now Montana and Wyoming
to fish, hunt, and trade. At the beginning they owned about 16
million acres In Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, but after the
1855 treaty this size was reduced to 7 million acres. After the
discovery of gold In Idaho the size got reduced from 7 million
acres to 770,000 acres. With only 770,000 acres to name they
are still the largest Indian reservation In the United States.
Leaders
Contributed by Abdulrehman Ismail
Chief Joseph: Chief Joseph was born on
the 3rd of March 1840 and died on the 21st
of
September 1904. His real name was Hinmah-too-yah-lat-kekt, (Thunder rolling down
the mountain). He also the leader of the
Nez Perce people during the Nez Perce War.
He surrendered to General Miles in 1877.
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Looking Glass: Chief Looking
Glass was a war leader, and he
was known as Allalimya Takanin
to his people. He was born on
1832 and died on the end of
1877. Chief Looking Glass and
Chief Joseph directed the 1877
retreat from Oregon to Montana
and onward towards Washington.
Chief Lawyer: Chief lawyer was
part of 1855 treaty. Throughout
the whole settlement he was
friendly with the white people. He
was especially well known in the
negations with Governor Stevens
during the settlement. He was
known as the Talker because of his
speaking ability and wisdom. He
was a main part of the treaty
because he had great influence
over the whites.
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The Flight of the
Nez Perce
Contributed by
Hamza Naveed
The Nez Percé were
under great pressure by
the European Americans
to give up their land.
Under this tension, the
Nez Percé split into two groups, those that accepted to be
relocated to a small reservation in Idaho, and those that refused
to give up the land they had been on for thousands of years. A
treaty was signed by those willing to go to the reservation. But
the non-treaty Nez Percé wanted to reach a peaceful sanctuary
where they could have land and avoid war.
Therefore, Chief Joseph, Looking
Glass1, White Bird2, Ollokot3,
Poker Joe4, and Toohoolhoolzote5
lead a band of 750 people in an
epic 1880 km flight to Canada, to
the camp of Lakota chief Sitting Bull6.
Above: White Bird
Architect of military strategies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce#Flight_of_the_Nez_Perce)
Chief of the Lamatta band of Nez Percé (ibid)
3 War leader of the Wallowa band (ibid)
4 Joe Hale, a half French Canadian and half Nez Percé (ibid)
5 Nez Percé leader who died at the battle of Bear Paw (ibid)
6 Hunkpapa Lakota leader (ibid)
1
2
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The Nez Perce endured many harsh climates
and mountain ranges and were pursued by nearly
2000 soldiers of the US Army. Over a hundred US
soldiers and a hundred Nez Percé warriors were
killed in smaller, unnamed conflicts.
On October 5, 1877,
a battle ensued between
the Nez Percé and the US
army, known as the Battle
of Bear Paw. It took place
just 40 miles south of the
US-Canada border. After a
huge ambush by 400 US
soldiers, the Nez Percé
had many wounded
among their camp.
Chief Joseph later said: "We could have escaped
from Bear Paw Mountain if we had left our
wounded, old women, and children behind. We were
unwilling to do this. We had never heard of a
wounded Indian recovering while in the hands of
white men."7
7
P 132, Jackson, Helen Hunt, 1830-1885. A Century of Dishonour: a Sketch of the United States Government's
Dealings with Some of the Indian Tribes. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1881.
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General Howard (shown right),
the leader of this attack, then
besieged the camp of the Nez Percé.
However, on October 5th, Captain
John and Old George took two Nez
Percé men hostage and forced the
remaining to surrender. The two
hostages had daughters in the
besieged camp. The camp
surrendered on the terms that they
would be sent to the Idaho
reservation, Lapawi. Chief Joseph then
sent this oral message to the military:
ranks:
“Tell General Howard, I know his
heart. What he told me before I
have in my heart. I am tired of
fighting. Our chiefs are killed …
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired.
My heart is sick and sad. From
where the sun now stands, I
Chief Joseph 3 weeks after his
surrender
8
will fight no more forever.”8
Wikipedia: Battle of Bear Paw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bear_Paw
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The remaining Nez Percé then came out and
surrendered their weapons. Later on, ten medals of
honour were distributed amongst the soldiers of the
US Army. At Washington DC, two years later, Joseph
would make his historical speech: Words do not Pay.
The annual Cypress Hills ride in June commemorates
the Nez Perce people's attempt to escape to
Canada.
Beliefs
Contributed by Hamza Naveed
The Nez Percé beliefs were
highly connected to equality and
good moral conduct. The Nez
Percé believed that humans are a
link in the chain that binds
together all of creation. They also
believed that no human or
creature was superior to another.
“The Creator gave us the language. He gave us
colour of skin. He gave us culture, tradition, and so
many other things. The Creator made certain things
in certain ways.” 9
~Horace Axtell, Nez Percé Elder
9
Nps.gov: Nez Perce Spirituality https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/nepe/spirituality.html
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Their beliefs also centred
around a wéyekin, or guardian
spirit, that would protect them
from people and allow them to
help others. Many individual
tribal members sought out to
search for a wéyekin, in long
journeys to distant sacred sites.
The wéyekin could be an
animal, plant, or any life form,
including the wind or the
seasons.
Important in the religious life was the vision
quest for a guardian spirit. Shamans provided
religious leadership, presiding at ceremonies,
exorcising ghosts, and curing the sick. The religion
was animistic; Coyote was important in the
mythology. The tribal religion is still observed among
the traditionalists.10
According to encyclopedia.com, the Nez Percé
believed in the mythical emergence of Netíitelwit,
the first humans to walk the earth. These beings put
an end to mythical creatures. They also believed
10
EveryCulture : Nez Perce https://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Nez-Perc.html
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that a Itseyéeye, or coyote, slayed a being too
powerful that would destroy humans. Therefore,
coyotes are important in their mythology.11
Culture
Contributed by Hamza Naveed
Early Nez Percé were mainly hunter gatherers
and foragers12. However, fishing was very significant
to the Nez Percé. They relied on many fishes for
food, such as the Chinook Salmon13, the algaefeeding chiselmouth and the Pacific Lamprey.
Chinook Salmon
Pacific Lamprey
Their fishing areas
extended from the
Cascade range in the
west to the Bitterroot
mountains in the east.
11
"Nez Perce (Niimíipuu) Religious Traditions ." Encyclopedia of Religion. . Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2022
<https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
12
collecting wild plants and roots and pursuing wild animals (Dictionary definition)
13
The largest of Pacific Salmon in North America, also known as King Salmon (Wikipedia preview)
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Fishing is both a
commercial and ceremonial
activity for the Nez Percé.
Even today, the descendant
Nez Percé have huge fish
hatcheries and fishing
After the Nez Percé acquiredoperations.
horses in the early 18th century, life
changed for them. They were now
able to lead expeditions into the
eastern slopes of the Rockies, where
they began trading with the Plains
People and hunting bison. They had
many horse-breeding programs that
still exist today. They managed to
create the Appaloosa breed of horse.
Once the Nez Percé had horses, they were able
to travel and hunt on the Great Plains14. There, the
synthesized many ideas from other native tribes,
such as the usage of a tepee15 made of buffalo hide,
and many items of clothing made of buffalo hide.
14
15
The Great Plains, sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. (Wikipedia)
A portable conical tent normally used on hunting trips by native tribes (Wikipedia)
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They lived in pit houses16 in the winter and tule-mat
lodges17 in the summer.
(This space is empty for fun facts)
16
17
A house built under the ground (Wikipedia)
House made of many tule stalks bound together and supported by wooden framework
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Works Cited (Alphabetical
Order)
Wikipedia.org: Nez Perce Horse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce_Horse
cowgirlmagazine.com: 5 Fun Facts about Nez Perce
breed
https://cowgirlmagazine.com/the-nez-perce-horse/
Britannica.com: Appaloosa
https://www.britannica.com/animal/Appaloosa
Britannica.com : Nez Perce People
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nez-Percepeople
Britannica.com : Tepee
https://www.britannica.com/technology/tepee
Jackson, Helen Hunt, 1830-1885. A Century of
Dishonour: a Sketch of the United States
Government's Dealings with Some of the Indian
Tribes. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1881.
Wikipedia.org: Battle of Bear Paw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bear_Paw
Wikipedia.org: Nez Perce
encyclopedia.com: Nez Perce Religion
https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclop
edias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/nez-perceniimiipuu-religious-traditions
everyculture.com: Nez Perce Religion
https://www.everyculture.com/North-America/NezPerc.html
nezperce.org
https://nezperce.org/
nps.gov: Nez Perce spirituality
https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/nepe/spirituali
ty.html
warpaths2peacepipes.com: Nez Perce Tribe
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indiantribes/nez-perce-tribe.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce
Nez Percé Warriors Team Credits:
Mu. Hamza Naveed: Team Leader, Author
Abdulrehman Ismail: Author and Text Compiler
Mu. Rayyan Salman: Author
Mo. Ayaan Azeem: Final Draft Designer
Hashim Ahmad Saqar: