Cultural Landscape

Nez Perce Horse - Photo Source: www.newrider.com

Before any American intervention, the Nez Perce lived across about 17 million acres of land. Their land stretched across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. In the early 19^th century, the Nez Perce had over 100 villages throughout their vast land. These villages varied in population from 50 people to around 600 people. The Nez Perce were the largest tribe in the Columbia Plateau, boasting an impressive 12,000 people.

One of the possible reasons for such a large and vast amount of land is the fact that the Nez Perce was a migratory people. For many years before American intervention, the Nez Perce were known to travel through their 17 million acres of land. Their migration patterns are seasonal and reliant on sources of food. The Nez Perce fished in the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia Rivers. Mostly, they fished for salmon, which was their favorite fish to catch. They also hunted for buffalo among other animals. The Nez Perce would travel as far as the Great Plains of Montana and the Pacific Coast to hunt buffalo. When the season changed and the animals migrated, so did the Nez Perce. Like many migratory animals, the Nez Perce’s traveling patterns were very consistent and predictable.

Currently, the Nez Perce relies on a few different ways to sustain a living. They breed horses and run fish hatcheries along the Clearwater River.

Historically, the Nez Perce was known as a tribe of horse-people. They have a rich history of horsemanship and horse breeding. During the American intervention of the 19^th century, the horse-related traditions were destroyed and nearly became a distant memory. In 1994 the Nez Perce tribe, with the financial help of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and a nonprofit organizations called the First Nations Development Institute, developed a new program and tradition of horse breeding and horsemanship.

The Nez Perce Horse is a cross between an Appaloosa horse, named for the Palouse River that runs through Nez Perce land, and an ancient Central Asian breed called the Akhal-Teke. The Akhal-Teke originated in Turkmenistan and is known for their stamina and beautiful coats. The Nez Perce Horse was bred to be very fast and agile with excellent endurance and stamina. They are also fantastic jumpers. Physically, the Nez Perce Horse is lean with narrow shoulders and a long back. Their coats are usually spotted and are very attractive to horse enthusiasts. A Nez Perce Horse usually sells for between $3,000 and $5,000.

The Nez Perce relies heavily on fishing for both survival and economic purposes. The Treaty of 1855 granted the Nez Perce total fishing rights to all streams and rivers located within the boundaries of their reservation. Although there once was an abundance of fish in this area, the number has begun to decline in the 20^th century. In order to keep the streams and rivers located in their reservation stocked with fish, the Nez Perce have set up several fish hatcheries along some rivers such as the Clearwater River and the Columbia River. According to the Department of Fisheries Resources Management website, the Nez Perce manage and operate 20 hatcheries and 16 satellite facilities. With the help of these hatcheries, the Nez Perce have cultivated close to 8 million juvenile fish to restock their rivers and streams.

Nez Perce Fish Hatchery - Photo Source: www.critfc.org