Nimipuutímt, commonly refereed to as just Nez Perce, is the language of the Nez Perce people. Nimipuutimt is a Sahaptian language. The language is spoken by approximately six hundred people in Idaho (Native Languages, n.d). The language ‘has been a steep decline in the number of speakers over the past decade’, (Native Voices, 2007). Like many Native Nations, language is an important aspect of Nez Perce culture. In order to protect their endangered language, the Nez Perce created a four month program in effort to revive and preserve their language. The program has been made available to tribal young people by being offered in school, in after school programs and at summer camps (Native Voices, 2007). There are also free lessons available on the tribe’s language website, https://www.nimipuutimt.org/. The Nez Perce state, ‘Learning to speak nimipuutímt is a bridge to Nez Perce culture that you can share with your family, strengthening the roots by which our language can grow’, (Nimipuutimt, n.d).
Native Voices Endowment Recipients – 2007. The Endangered Language Fund. Retrieved from http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/nve_2007.html
Nez Perce Language Program. Nimmipuutimt. Retrieved from https://www.nimipuutimt.org/
Nez Perce Language. Native Languages. Retrieved from http://www.native-languages.org/nez.htm
Matthew Gates 