Nativ Americans: Nez Perce by Sarah Tieck, Abdo Publishing, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2015.
The Nez Perce are from the Idaho, Oregon and Washington area. Their name means pierced nose but it is not certain they ever pierced their noses. The name Nez Perce was given by the French and may confused them with another group. Their actual name is Nimiipuu meaning the people.
Traditionally their homes were made of matts made from bark and grass and placed over a wood frame. These homes could hold up to 30 families. They gathered roots and wild vegetables like onions. They primarily hunted fist. The book shows a picture of a salmon catching spear with a point but also barbed hookers to hld the fish. They also hunted small animals like deer and rabbit.
The horse was introduced in the 1700s which made them more mobile. They are famous for breeding the Apaloosa. They started to travel to hunt buffalo and for this used mobile homes like the tipi. As a result their territory extened into Montana.
They had man fights to preserve their land. The initially were granted a large reservation, but whites encroached on this and the reservation was made smaller. In 1877 Chief Joseph resisted and with a group of Nez Perce he conducted a war with the U.S. They were eventually captured. They had been trying to make it to Canada. After this group was captured they were sent to the Oklahoma reservations as prisoners of war. They were not allowed to leave until 1885. At least 100 Nez Perce died because of the conditions in Oklahoma and a lack of food. Not all returned and there is a memorial to those who died. There is no recognized reservation in Oklahoma. 3500 people are members of the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho.
No comments:
Post a Comment