The Nez Perce tribe lived in Columbia River Plateau Region which is modern day Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana. They were a powerful and respected tribe who were famous for breeding Appaloosa horses.

Women in the New Peace tribe wore deerskin dresses and men wore breechcloth and leather leggings with buckskin shirts. They both wore moccasins on their feet. The women decorated their outfits with beadwork, shells, and a painted design. The men often styled their hair into pompadours or other styles, and sometimes wrapped their braids in fur. They used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration.

The New Perce had traditional gender roles. Nez Perce women were in charge of the home. Besides cooking and cleaning the Nez Perce women were in charge of making the clothing and tools her family needed so they could survive. Men were hunters and warriors, responsible for feeding and defending their families. Only men became Nez Perce chiefs, but both genders took a part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. The children did a lot of chores. So, they hardly had time to play.

The Nez Perce tribe once lived in small villages usually located near streams. During the winter they lived in more insulated houses called longhouses so they could keep warm during the winter. A longhouse had an A-shaped roof and floor dug deep into the ground so they could stay warm. During the summer, they lived in a house called a teepee and this house was not insulated as much a the longhouse so during the summer they could stay cool.

Hunting changed for the New Perch when horses were introduced. Horses gave the tribe the ability to hunt buffalo on the Great Plains. They used buffalo hides to make some of their clothes. Some of the weapons or tools this tribe used were spears, nets, and a bow and arrow. They used the spears and nets to catch fish and they used the bow and arrows during war. Also, during war they used spears and leather shields.

The New Perce ate Salmon, other fish, deer, and elk. The women gathered roots, fruits, nuts, and seeds to add to their diet. They had a game called the pinecone game and it was enjoyed by the Nez Perce children. The Nez Perce tribe made canoes by hollowing out tree trunks.

One of the most famous of the Nez Perce was the tribe leader, Chief Joseph, who tried to resist American assimilation by leading a clan of the New Perce to Canada for asylum. He was caught. Many of the clan were murdered and the rest were brought home to live on a reservation or assimilate into American culture.

THERE IS NO HISTORICAL TIMELINE FOR THE NEZ PERCE.

The Nez Perce went through a really hard war called the Nez Perce war it was led by Chief Joseph it was really intense, his brother Ollikut, White Bird and Chief Looking glass.The Nez Perce fought a lot of battles and tiny little battles with General Howard and later, Colonel Nelson A. Mileson in a fighting/retreat that covered 1,170 miles.The Nez Perce stopped at the Bear Paw Mountains in Montana. It was there that they fought a 5 day battle against Colonel Miles's soldiers. Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce, was forced to surrender to the US forces and the Nez Perce War came to an end.

Some other conflicts happened like the first major migration along the Oregon Trail took place in 1843 which led to other violent conflicts with the white settlers. In 1862 the Nez Perce were stolen from. An estimated $7-10 million in gold was taken from Nez Perce lands by more than 15,000 gold prospectors. Chief Joseph died on the 21st of September 1904 and was buried in Nespelem, Washington. As you can see The Nez Perce had many conflicts with a lot of people.

In the Nez Perce tribe, the main cultural differences between the Nez Perces and Americans was that Americans had more resources and “Technology”. The Nez Perces were not as lucky. The Americans thought they were more important and did not respect the Nez Perces or their peace contracts which in turn caused the war.The most famous person in the Nez Perce tribe was Chief Joseph.He became famous in 1877 by leading his tribe on a flight all the way across the Rocky mountains.The Americans played a huge part in the Nez Perce history because they were the opposing side in the Nez Perce war. The Nez Perce war ended on October fifth, 1877 and it ended when Chief Joseph gave his famous speech: “From where the sun not sets I will fight no more forever.”

The Nez Perce started to speak english as they got farther into life and interacted the english people. The land they once occupied has not changed, if you don’t count aging. The Nez Perce mostly live in Idaho nowadays. They’re enjoying their life and are living like your everyday american. In 1800 they had over 100 villages! Their way of life helped them stay safe, with them not having many enemies and being conservative with their resources helped them stay alive and keep their population up. There is a bigger population today set at a whopping 50,000 - 100,000 citizens of the tribe.

Comparing the Nez Perce tribe's stats from when the tribe was found to their stats today.