The Nez Perce have gone by many names throughout history. Before white settlers moved to their lands and introduced the horse the Nez Perce called themselves Cuupn’itpel’uu, “we walked out of the woods” or “we walked out of the mountains”. The French named this group of people Nez Perce which mean “pierced nose”. Nose piercing was not a tradition and it is not known why they called them this. Other names included the “people of the tule” and “khouse eaters”. The Nez Perce now call themselves Nimi’ipuu, “we the people”.
The Nez Perce’s traditional lands could have been found in what is now central Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington. At a time, their range also included parts of Montana and Wyoming. The Nez Perce once settled in villages along the tributaries of the Snake River. These people claim they have never migrated and have always lived in the same territory. Oral history spanning back from the Ice Age, illustrating volcanic activity and other phenomenon back their claim. In modern times, the Nez Perce can be found in Nez Percé Reservation, Idaho and Coleville Reservation, Washington.
The Nimi’ipuu trace their history back to the first humans to inhabit the earth, the Netíitelwit. Before the Netíitelwit arrived the world was filled with powerful mythic beings. The arrival of these first humans brought an end to these entities and marked the dawn of normal man. A myth is told among the Nez Perce that an extremely powerful being was slayed in order to clear a way for the emergence of the Netíitelwit. The severed parts of this being mark important cultural landmarks throughout the area for the Nez Perce. The mythic origins place the emergence of the first humans on the Clearwater River in Idaho.
The Nez Perce are one of two Sahaptian-speaking peoples, the other are the Sahaptin. They are culturally similar to other groups in the area such as the Yakima, Klickatat and Walla Walla. Traditionally, they traveled around each season to hunt, fish, and gather. Interestingly, when the horse was introduced the culture to the Nez Perce completely changed. They became traders and traveled as far as the Great Plains to hunt buffalo. The Nez Perce had more horses than any other native group. They bred a breed of distinguished horse known to be extremely sturdy. Theses spotted horses are known as Appaloosas.
Nez Percé. (2008). In UXL Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (Vol. 3)
Nez Perce Religious Traditions. In Encyclopedia of Religion. ( Vol. 2, pp. 6595-6596)
Matthew Gates 