Birds

Birds are very abundant in the Nez Perce’s land. They are mentioned in myths and appear in their clothing and imagery. Also, it is known for some to have birds as a spirit guardian or weyekin. The word for bird in their language is “wi’wit.”

www.ebird.org list these species to be the most common in Nez Perce, Idaho:

Male & Female Mallards - Photo Source: www.allaboutbirds.org

Mallard: Also known as a Wild Duck, male mallards, called Drakes, have a shiny green head with a brown chest and back. Their wings and belly are grey and have orange feet. Females are a speckled light and dark brown and also have orange feet.

Male & Female Barrow's Goldeneyes - Photo Source: www.allaboutbirds.org

Barrow’s Goldeneye: The Barrow’s Goldeneye is a duck that was named after English statesman, Sir John Barrow. Males are black with white spots. Their heads have a blue shine to them. Females are also white and brown, but with a yellow bill.

Canadian Goose - Photo Source: www.allaboutbirds.org

Canadian Goose: The Canadian Goose is a very common species found in the Northern United States and Canada. It has a black bill and head with white where their head meets their neck. Their neck is long. Their body is brown and white.

Rock Pigeon - Photo Source: www.northwestbirding.com

Rock Pigeon: These pigeons are known to use cliffs and rocks to roost and mate, hence their name. They are grey with a green and purple tint on their neck. They have two black bars on their grey wings and the tips are also black. Their eyes and feet are orange.

 Tundra Swan - Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org

Tundra Swan: The Tundra Swan is all white with black feet and a predominately black bill.

Barn Swallow - Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org

Barn Swallow: The Barn Swallow is the most wide spread swallow in the world. They are blue with with red on their face, a white belly and a deep forked tail.

Male & Female Northern Shoveler - Photo Source: www.bentler.us

Northern Shoveler: Known as the “shoveler” for their large beaks that they use to shovel through soil to find food. Males are bright green, white and blue. The females are normally a dull speckled brown.

Cedar Waxwing - Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org

Cedar Waxwing: The Cedar Waxwing is a mix of yellow, orange, brown, grey, white with a black mask. Named for it’s wax-like wing tips. Small clusters of red wax-like droplets form on the tips of their wings. They breed in area, but migrate to the south during the winter.

American Avocet - Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org

American Avocet: Also known as Blue Shanks, They have long thin grey legs, black and white feathers and a rusty red neck. This bird is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Some other birds that are commonly found throughout the land of the Nez Perce include: the Bufflehead, the Common Redpoll, the European Starling, the California Gull, the Common Goldeneye, the Violet-Green Swallow, Vaux’s Swift, the Horned Lark and many others.

Cosmos: Religion, Mythology and Philosophy

Coyote Creating Mankind - Photo Source: www.lib.uidaho.edu

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.

The Nez Perce believed in guardian spirits called weyekins, which protect individuals from harm. A weyekin is found by an individual in their youth and stays with them, protecting them and giving them different strengths and attributes, until the individual’s death. Nez Perce children, both boys and girls, around the ages of 12 or 15, are sent into the mountains without food or weapons. They bring with them only a little bit of water, which will sustain them until their weyekin visits them. Their weyekin will appear in the form of an animal, usually a mammal or a bird, either right before them or in their dreams. After a weyekin is revealed to the child, they will bestow upon them a kind of strength or attribute. For example, if one’s weyekin was a deer they might become quicker and more agile.

Animals are very prevalent in Nez Perce spirituality and the same goes for their mythology. They used mythology to explain certain unexplainable things like why the seasons change or how was fire invented? Another big question the Nez Perce used mythology to answer was how the world was created. Their myth explains:

Long ago before the existence of man, a huge monster came from the north and began eating everything in sight. It ate all the soil, rocks, trees, and worst of all, a lot of the animals. One day, Coyote realized that he couldn’t find any of his friends anywhere and this made him very angry. He decided he had to stop they monster and get his friends back. Coyote went across Snake River and up to the highest point of the Wallowa Mountains. There he tied himself with rope and began taunting and challenging the monster to come eat him. The monster came at Coyote and tried to suck him into his mouth, but was unable to. Coyote’s rope was too strong. Instead of being angry, the monster was impressed and asked Coyote to come stay with him for a while. One day, while staying with the monster, Coyote said that he wanted to see his friends in the monster’s belly. The monster agreed and swallowed Coyote whole. In the monster’s belly, Coyote saw that all of his friends were still alive and safe. He told them to get ready to escape and they did. Coyote them set a fire in the monster’s belly and also cut his heart. The monster died and Coyote and his friends escaped out of the monster’s belly. Coyote then said, in honor of this event, he was going to make a new animal and this animal was going to be human beings. He cut up parts of the monster and threw them into the four winds and where each piece landed (North, South, East or West) a tribe would be born. This was how all the tribes came to be. When he was finished, Coyote’s friend Fox noticed that no tribe was created where they stood. Nothing was left of the monster, but Coyote had an idea. He washed the blood from his hands and sprinkled that water on the ground below them. Coyote said, “Here on this ground I make the Nez Perce. They will be few, but strong and pure.”

Coyote is a reoccurring character in their mythology as well as other animals such as bear, fox, snake and chipmunk.

In the 19^th century, with the rising influence of the white man, the Nez Perce were introduced to Christianity. Most believe that Canadian trappers first introduced the Nez Perce to Christianity. Regardless who it was that first introduced it, Christianity became a belief many Nez Perce shared. Henry Spalding was one of the first ministers to set up a church near the Nez Perce. He saw himself as a missionary and that it was his calling to change the Nez Perce’s savage ways. He was a Presbyterian and was very inconsiderate of Nez Perce culture and beliefs. Nez Perce who converted to Christianity were known by their new Christian names. They also cut their hair short and began dressing in less traditionally regal outfits. The rift between Christian and traditional Nez Perce was eventually very evident. These two groups too opposing sides during the land dispute. The Christian Nez Perce was sympathetic and intrigued by the white man and their wealth. They gave no opposition to them when the white man came to take their land and push them into a reservation. The traditional Nez Perce, later to be called non-treaty Indians, fought back.

Presbyterian Missionary & Nez Perce Students - Photo Source: www.cantonasylumforinsaneindians.com

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

Homeland

The Nez Perce Prairie - Photo Source: www.nps.gov

Currently, the Nez Perce live in their reservation located in north central Idaho and the southern part of the Idaho panhandle. The Nez Perce Reservation stretches between four counties: Nez Perce County, Lewis County, Clearwater County and Idaho County. Mainly, their reservation extends throughout the Camas Prairie, with the Clearwater River running through the north of their land.

The Nez Perce live in the geographic region known as the Columbia Plateau. The Columbia Plateau extends through three states: Washington, Oregon and Idaho. To be more specific: southern Washington, northern Oregon and western Idaho. The Columbia Plateau is considered a mix of shrub steppe, cold desert, coniferous forest and prairie biomes. In Idaho, the coniferous forests are more abundant the closer you get to the Canadian border. The further south in Idaho you get, the more desert-like the area becomes.

Between the two, the Nez Perce inhabited area of the Columbia Plateau is predominately prairie-land or grassland, which is considered a shrub-steppe biome. This biome is dry and gets very small rainfall. It is similar to a desert, but a shrub-steppe biome receives enough rainfall and moisture to be covered by a layer of perennial grasses and shrubbery. Some trees found in this area include Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine. Along with the bluebunch wheatgrass, which is native, this area boasts a growing area of cropland. Some crops that are predominately grown here are wheat, barley, pees and hay.

Nez Perce County is about 856 square miles and a little more than 7 square miles of that is water. The Snake River runs to the west of the county and the Clearwater River runs through the north of it. The Nez Perce heavily utilizes the Clearwater River for both sustenance and economical purposes. The Nez Perce land, as stated before, receives little rainfall, which hydrates the grassland or prairie-land, consisting of perennial grasses and shrubbery. Their land is known as the Nez Perce Prairie and has an elevation that varies from 2,000 to 4,100 feet with some buttes reaching up to 5,700 feet.

History

Lewis & Clark Meet the Nez Perce - Photo Source: www.waterplanet.ws

William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition first encountered the Nez Perce. Lewis and Clark were crossing the Bitterroot Mountains and running low on food. Clark took six hunters and went ahead of the expedition to hunt. While he was out hunting in September of 1805, Clark came across a small camp, which was inhabited by helpful, strong, and resourceful people. This camp is located in what is now called Weippe Prairie. Lewis and Clark found the Nez Perce to be so impressive that they left their horses with the tribe while they continued their expedition west by boat. Upon returning to Weippe Prairie, Lewis and Clark recovered their well-kept horses without any incident. Lewis and Clark wrote about these trustworthy and profound people in their journal. Although Lewis and Clark first described the Nez Perce as resourceful, trustworthy, and hospitable, the Nez Perce are also well known as strong warriors and brilliant battle strategists.

            Their battle savvy and will to survive was put to the test in the late 19^th century. It was in the late 19^th century, after a few decades of living peacefully with new white inhabitants, that the United States tried to push the Nez Perce off of their ancestral land and into waiting reservations in Idaho. The reason for this was that gold was discovered north of Weippe Prairie and brought in several thousand potential white prospectors who settled on the Nez Perce’s land. Instead of the Nez Perce complaining about this invasion, the prospectors did. They complained to the United States government and asked them to push the Nez Perce off of this land so they could mine for gold without distraction. The government obliged and began a campaign to forcefully move the Nez Perce off their ancestral land and into a reservation. This campaign caused a rift between the tribe. Some Nez Perce agreed and followed the orders of the United States by giving up their land and moving into reservations. These members of the Nez Perce avoided war with the United States by signing a treaty in 1877. However, the rest of the Nez Perce refused to give up their land for many reasons including the fertility of the land, the sentimentality and history of this ancestral land and, of course, the Treaty of Walla Walla of 1855. Pushing the Nez Perce off of their land was in direct violation of the Treaty of Walla Walla, but the United States did not seem to care.

            The remaining Nez Perce, known as “non-treaty Indians,” planned to defend their land from the United States, which led to a few armed and violent battles in June 1877. After these battles, approximately 2,900 Nez Perce fled north in search of protection and safety. They first sought safety with their allies, the Crow tribe, but the Crow tribe refused to take them in and offer them aid. After being turned away by the Crow, the Nez Perce attempted to flee to the sanctuary of the Lakota camp in Canada. The Canadian camp was that of Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, who escaped there from the military after defeating the United States at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Unfortunately, as the Nez Perce were attempting to flee to the safety of Canada, over 2,000 United States soldiers were in close pursuit.

            The Nez Perce covered about 1,200 miles and several mountains through four different states on their way to the Lakota camp in Canada. Along the way, 18 battles were fought between the pursuing U.S. soldiers and about 800 Nez Perce warriors, which exemplifies their ferocity, strategy and will to survive. Over 300 soldiers were killed in these battles. Unfortunately, about 1,000 non-treaty Nez Perce Indians, sadly including women and children, were also killed. In October 1877 the Nez Perce finally surrendered to the United States military near the border of Montana and Canada. The route the Nez Perce took to find peace in Canada is now known as the Nez Perce National Historic Trail.