Nez Perce

Climate and Environment

The Nez Perce Tribe lived in the Plateau region which is in the upper left corner of Oregon. The area is a large landscape area full of different landscapes. The area has deserts, forest uplands, with a lot of sagebrush and grass. Where they were located there where tons of wild horses for them to capture and use for travel.

The climate in that Oregon region had little rain, and had cold winds often.

Shelter

The tribe lived in mat long houses that were 15-30 feet wide, and could be up to 150 feet long. Each one of the houses could hold several families. The houses where made like one tipi connected to another making a long line. The framework was covered with woven grass and bark mats.

Once tipis were introduced to the tribe they began to build more tipis and less long houses. Their tipi's were usually made of grass mat or bison skin.

Food

The Nez Perce had something other Oregon tribes didn't have like horses so hunting was a lot easier for the men. During the spring the men take their horses and will travel over the Rocky Mountains to hunt for bison. Horses also made it easier to hunt for deer, elk, antelopes, moose, bear, mountain sheep and goat. They could use their horse to chase herds of elk or deer toward a body of water were they would shout arrows from canoes and horses at the animal. When the men weren't hunting on horse they were traveling to a river or stream to fish for salmon and trout.

The women would go out and gather camas bulbs, bitterroot, wild carrots, wild onion, wild potatoes, and kous. What most of the food they collected during the spring they would store for when winter came.

Bitterroot

Clothing

The Nez Perce tribe took a lot of pride in their clothes and spent time making sure they were clean. Their clothes were mostly made of deer, elk, and bison skin. They would decorate their clothes with fringe, paint, porcupine quills, and beads. When there was a important ceremony the men and women painted their face, usually it was men copying the Plains Indians whom they had met while hunting bison.

The men wore long buckskin shirts, leggings, belts, breech cloths, and moccasins. When the weather got colder they would wear bison skin robes. The women wore long buckskin dresses, corn husk hats, and knee high moccasins.

Chief Joseph

Joseph was born March 3, 1840 and became Chief Joseph in 1871 along with Chiefs Looking Glass and White bird. During the 1850's before he was Chief people came from all over to dig for gold on at one point was Nez Perce land, but a new treaty was written for all Native Americans to live on one reservation. At first all three Chiefs agreed to the new settlement trying to avoid war for their tribe was out numbered. The morning of the move warriors that fallowed White Birds band attacked and killed several white settlers. After the attack Chief Joseph new the military would be coming, and a war would break out so he did what is now known as the most remarkable retreats in military history.

Chief Joseph and he 700 followers (only 200 actual warriors) started on a 1,400 mile march toward Canada. They had several victories against the U.S. force (2,000 U.S. soldiers), but it came to a point that it was taking a toll on Chief Josephs tribe with only 87 fighting warriors left. They were 40 miles from the Canadian border, sitting in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana to beaten and starving to continue fighting. Chief Joseph having seen his people die, even his own brother, and watching his tribe of women and children near starvation surrendered to the U.S. force. After he had surrendered to save his tribe he delivered one of the greatest speeches in American history.

"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say 'Yes' or 'No'. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are-perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

-Chief Joseph