Native American Nations: Nez Perce

Native American Nations: Nez Perce — page 1
CHAPTER 1 Homelands The Nez Perce ness purse lived on the Columbia Plateau where present-day Oregon Washington and Idaho come together This region is also known as the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest is cold in the winter Large snowdrifts made travel difficult and dangerous During the winter the Nez Perce moved down from the mountains into the warmer canyons The Nez Perce homelands included around 17 million acres 6 9 million ha They stretched west toward the Cascade Mountains and east toward the Rocky Mountains The Nez Perce believe that they have lived in this region since the beginning of time They call themselves the Nimi’ipu nee-me-poo It means the people The Nimi’ipu speak a Sahaptin language 4