Throughout history the Nez Perce have heavily relied on trade. Prior to contact with white settlers the Nez Perce traded resources and the bounty of their land to neighboring tribes. When white settlers brought their horses the Nez Perce expanded their trade and began traveling far south. These natives traded their salmon, berries, horses and edible roots.
Today the Nez Perce no longer rely on trade as a means of economic prosperity. The Nez Perce currently have several means of income that support Native people and the area in which they reside. There are several casinos and stores owned by the tribe. The largest casino is the Clearwater Casino. Indian Country Today states it was renovated to ‘include 700 gaming machines and an event center that can accommodate 1,500 people’ (McNeel, 20017). Another source of tribal revenue is the tribal fisheries, ‘Fisheries Are the Lifeblood of the Nez Perce Economy’ (McNeel, 2013). The fisheries employ over 180 individuals. Occasionally the Nez Perce lease out their land for timber and cattle use; ‘Tribal economy has been largely based on funding from these leases and a timber program’ (Hillstrom and Hanes, n.d.). These are just a portion of what makes the Nez Perce one of the region’s largest employers.
Mcneel, Jack. (2017, April 12). 10 Things You Should Know About the Nez Perce Tribe. Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-nez-perce-tribe-bFbKNrLV6kCvHNe7Eyhc7w
McNeel, Jack. (2014, December 4). Fisheries Are the Lifeblood of the Nez Perce Economy. Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/fisheries-are-the-lifeblood-of-the-nez-perce-economy-rzUqpFJE4kSlb6iL29nHJg
Hanes, Richard & Hillstrom, Laurie. (n.d.). Nez Perce. Countries and Their Cultures. https://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Nez-Perc.html
Matthew Gates 