Native americans nez perce.

Nez Perce Indian History

Nez Perce" is French for "pierced nose." While the Nez Perce did not traditionally pierce their noses, the name stuck just the same.

"Nimi'ipu" is how the Nez Perces refer to themselves!

The Nez Perce originally lived in three of the most rugged river canyons in the Northwest--the canyons of Idaho's Clearwater, Salmon, and Snake Rivers. The Snake's Hells Canyon, with its staircase rapids rushing through a chasm deeper than that of the Grand Canyon, contains more than 112 pictographs left by the Nez Perce ancestors, in addition to well-worn trails down the canyon's steep walls. The Nez Perce also lived on the Oregon side of the canyon, in a valley in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains. More than 75 Nez Perce village sites have been identified along the Snake and its tributaries. Some have been carbon-dated to 11,000 years, or about 500 generations; there are also indications of far older settlements.

The Treaty of 1855 ordered the Nez Perce to relinquish their ancestral territory and move to Oregon's Umatilla Reservation with the Walla Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla Tribes. However, all the tribes so opposed this plan that Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens granted the Nez Perce the right to remain in their own territory, on the condition that they relinquish nearly 13 million acres to the U.S. government.

After gold and other metals were discovered in Nez Perce country, the U.S. government negotiated a new treaty with the tribe in the 1870s. Often called the "steal treaty," it stripped the Nez Perce of the Wallowa and Imnaha Valleys and the land at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers--the site of the present-day towns of Lewiston and Clarkston.

Diet: What did the Nez Perce people eat?  Well depending on the season, their cuisine changed.  The Nez Perce ate different things depending on the season.  In the spring and summer, they would gather and eat roots, catch salmon, and hunt big game (deer, elk, bear, sheep, and goats).  During the fall and winter, the Nez Perce would focus mainly on fishing to provide food, and also they would eat dried berries, nuts, and hunt for meat.  The basic foods gathered included fruit; such as gooseberries, raspberries, and strawberries, other foods gathered included pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and black moss (Nezperce.org, 2004).  Today, deer, elk, and salmon are still important, but they are not the only things the Nez Perce eat.  Modern foods such as microwaveable dishes, canned foods, and store bought products are used to feed the Nez Perce (Nezperce.org, 2004).Mexican Americans have a long tradition of certain foods.  As far back as the early 1500s, corn, squash, beans, and tomatoes were an important part of the Mexican diet.  The meats eaten were typically pork, beef, steak, and chicken.  Today, the cuisine has not changed much for Mexican Americans, but only for the addition of herbs and spices along with convenience of grocery stores.  Most dishes back then and today are served with rice and flour tortillas (Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, 1995).

As you can see, both groups have certain foods that have been eaten by their people for centuries.  With innovation and technology, coupled with the less challenging process of gathering or hunting, the basic foods have remained the same, however the methods of hunting and preparing their foods have changed.  This shows great ties to tradition within both ethnic groups.

Religion :Before the arrival of the white man into the Nez Perce territory, the Nez Perce Indian’s religion consisted of simply believing in spirits.  They believed in one main spirit, and that this spirit was the mother of earth.  The Nez Perce did not have a formal church in which they taught their religious beliefs, but rather passed on these beliefs through stories taught by the male and female elders of a tribe.  After the Nez Perce came into contact with whites, Christianity was introduced to the tribe.  Slowly, through missionaries the word of Christianity was spread throughout the Nez Perce nation.  Bibles were given to tribes for them to study, and eventually Christianity became a part of the Nez Perce culture (Rifkin, 1993).Mexican Americans have their own history of religious practices.  As early as 1821, and continuing through 1840, the Mexican Catholic church period was formed as a result of spiritual neglect in the Mexican/Mexican American community.  After the Catholic Church started gaining a stronghold in the Mexican community, a congregation of devout Mexican Americans following the Catholic faith resulted.  Today, the Roman Catholic Church claims most of the Spanish population for its religion, and is considered to be the main religion of Mexican Americans (Samora and Simon, 2004).Both Mexican Americans and Nez Perce Indians, have unique histories of religion.  Similarities exist in that both groups have had a change in the religious practices as a result of the white man.

Traditions :The Nez Perce Indians are a people full of traditions, which reflect their strong sense of culture.  Several times a year, the Nez Perce hold celebrations to honor their Native American culture.  They dress in colorful clothing, have large feasts of traditional foods, play traditional drum and flute music, and dance and sing to celebrate with Native Americans from across the entire United States.  They gather in Lapwai or Kamiah, Idaho, for several days for this annual celebration.  Aside from this annual gathering, there are other ways that the Nez Perce celebrate their history.   Pow wows and ceremonies are the most common ways that these natives celebrate.  In regards to the traditions the Nez Perce used to practice prior to being moved to the reservation, many of these traditions have been lost.  Certain hunting practices, marital practices, eating practices and many others have deteriorated since the move to reservations.  Today, most Nez Perce Indians live a semi-traditional American way of life, with almost all of them having been assimilated completely into the American culture.  The Nez Perce have not forgotten their past, and in many ways try to remember the history of the ancestors (Nezperce.org, 2004).Mexican Americans are another tradition rich community.  Through drama, folklore, poetry, visual arts, and music, the Mexican American community holds on to its ancestry by way of expression.  Although these expressions have changed over time, the roots to Mexican heritage are strong among Mexican Americans.  With story telling, singing, painting, sculpting, acting, and dancing, Mexican Americans hold on to their distinct traditions.  The most widely known Mexican celebration is Cinco de Mayo.  Cinco de Mayo is a celebration that includes parades and other festivities that celebrate the Mexican victory over French troops on May 5th, 1862.  This is celebrated every year on the anniversary of the Mexican victory.  While this is only one example of the way Mexican Americans celebrate their past, it is an example of the strong cultural values that many Mexican Americans place on their history (Encyclopedia of Multicultural American, 1995).Both Mexican Americans and the Nez Perce Indians have certain ceremonies that they use to help celebrate their past.  While many Anglo Americans celebrate with these different groups, these celebrations are a representation of their past, and a way to reinforce their ethnic brotherhood.

More about them you can find at :
http://www.nezperce.org/
http://averagewriter.hubpages.com/hub/Nez-Perce-Indians