Nez Perce National Park

Nez Perce War

The Treaty Era

Land disputes with US government and Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakama, Cayuse and Palouse.

Many settlers were encroaching on tribal lands and many conflicts between whites and indigenous. Nez Perce ultimately agreed to give up 7.5 million acres of their land, with the condition that they can still fish and hunt in their usual places.

• Treaty of 1855 - and agreement to minimize lands to a moderately smaller area
• Nez Perce war - after 1855, ranchers wanted more land for cattle, gold rush - thought that gold existed
• Land decreased further
• Non-treaty Nez Perce are the tribes within Nez Perce whose lands were outside the new boundaries set and thus, had no interest in signing the treaties - they were forced to relocate, or else war!
• Battles and outbursts of violence occurred between some non-treaty tribes and white settlers
• 2-day battle - 40 non-warriors and 12 soldiers died in Battle of the Big Hole
• Fled to seek refuge with Crow nation - were not granted refuge
• Fled to Canada to escape US government
• Chief Joseph surrendered to US government at battle of bear paw

Land disputes with US govt and Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakama, Cayuse and Palouse. Many settlers were encroaching on tribal lands and many conflicts between whites and indigenous. Nez Perce ultimately agreed to give up 7.5 million acres of their land, with the condition that they can still fish and hunt in their usual places.

Nez Perce

For thousands of years, the Nez Perce lived freely in the vast open spaces of the Northwest, among its rivers, mountains and valleys.

Today, the tribe's ancient presence and its more recent, and tragic, history are preserved at Nez Perce National Historical Park.The Park is a park about a people, for all people. It is not one place but many. It is not one story, but a multitude of stories. The stories are often emotional and sometimes controversial, but they bind us together in a common history and define us as a nation.

The Park includes 38 sites scattered throughout the traditional Nimiipuu homeland in what is now Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. These sites commemorate the legends and the history of the Nez Perce and their interaction with others. This includes other Indian peoples, as well as the explorers, fur traders, missionaries, soldiers, settlers, gold miners, loggers, and farmers who moved through and into the Nez Perce homeland.

The History

Nez Perce culture:

The Nez Perce call themselves Niimíipuu – “The People.” The name nez percé (“pierced nose”) came from French Canadian fur traders in the 18th century, an erroneous identification as nose piercing was never practiced by the tribe.

• Actual name for the tribe is Nimíipuu (nih-mih-pew) which means “the people” in their language.
• The Nez Perce tribe was historically nomadic, traveling with the seasons from buffalo hunting in the Great Plains to salmon fishing at Celilo Falls.
• 17 million acres in what is now Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana made up the tribe’s homeland.
• Today, the Nez Perce Indian Reservation consists of 750,000 acres, of which the tribe or tribal members own 13 percent. The tribe, with an enrolled membership of about 3,500 (2011), is headquartered in Lapwai, Idaho.

.

• Company has 7 divisions:

• Enforcement, production, harvest, watershed, biological services, research, and resident fish.

• $20 million program

• Restored Chinook Salmon population from 385 adult fish to over 60,000

• Chinook salmon are big fish!

• They are the largest Pacific salmon species. On average,
• Chinook salmon are 3 feet long and approximately 30 pounds. But some Chinook salmon can grow to over 5 feet long and 110 pounds!

• Established in 1981

• 60 biologists employed

• Earnings are competitive with federal employers in similar field

• Tribe manages the Kooskia Hatchery, Dworshak Hatchery, and Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery as well as having a strong leadership role for all salmon hatcheries in the country
• Play a primary role in restoration of Salmon across the country

• Spirituality: The oldest ongoing church in Idaho is the First Indian Presbyterian Church – the first in the U.S. The upriver Indians in the Kamiah area received Christianity willingly and readily. “We also have the traditional people, the Seven Drum, and it’s very strong as well,” she explained. “There’s a growing appreciation to respect each other’s belief system. It’s encouraging that we enjoy Christianity as well as our cultural beliefs.”

• Horse Breeding: For hundreds of years, horses have been an integral part of Nimiipuu culture. The Nez Perce Indians were responsible for crossbreeding their own horse in 1995. The Nez Perce horse is a crossbreed of the Appaloosa and the Asian breed Akhal-Teke.

• Education: “Education is a priority with our tribe,” Vice Chairman Bill Picard said. “We are doing great things but without education could not have accomplished it. We push our tribal members to get an education to help their family, themselves, and the tribe. We now have doctors, lawyers, directors, managers and executives who are enrolled Nez Perce. I am very proud of each and every one of them.”

By Melinda McDonald

& Charlie Erickson

Fishery

The lifeblood of Nez Perce is Salmon and Steelhead fish

Work Cited

"Nez Perce Indians." Learn about the History and Culture of the. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Fisheries Are the Lifeblood of the Nez Perce Economy." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Cultural Geology Guide: The Flight of the Nez Percé." SweetwaterNOW. N.p., 23 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Fisheries Are the Lifeblood of the Nez Perce Economy." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Department of Fisheries Resources Management." DFRM DFRM Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

United States. National Park Service. "The Treaty Period." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Department of Fisheries Resources Management." DFRM DFRM Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

E., Marc Stewart Public Relations Director, 208.686.2023 (Office), and 208.582.3891 (Cell). 2O1O ECONOMIC (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

"10 Things You Should Know About the Nez Perce Tribe." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Dams were constructed as a part of the New Deal programs, which in turn decimated the fish populations, leaving the the Nez Perce tribe vulnerable

• This was even after the Treaty of 1855, which gave the tribe total fishing rights within the reservation
• Division of Fisheries Resources Management (DFRM) - owned my Nez Perce - shoulders responsibility/task of restoring the habitat
• Company has 7 divisions: enforcement, production, harvest, watershed, biological services, research, and resident fish.
• $20 million program
• Restored Chinook Salmon population from 385 adult fish to over 60,000
• Chinook salmon are big fish! They are the largest Pacific salmon species.
• On average, Chinook salmon are 3 feet long and approximately 30 pounds.
• But some Chinook salmon can grow to over 5 feet long and 110 pounds!
• Established in 1981
• 60 biologists employed
• Earnings are competitive with federal employers in similar field
• Tribe manages the Kooskia Hatchery, Dworshak Hatchery, and Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery as well as having a strong leadership role for all salmon hatcheries in the country
• Play a primary role in restoration of Salmon across the country

Nez Perce National Park