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The Nez Perce tribe, also known as Nimi’ipuu, live on a reservation in Idaho and have a history of migration and conflict with the US government. They have a proud tradition of horse riding and breeding, which was revived in the 1990s with the creation of the Nez Perce horse.
The Nez Perce are a Pacific Northwest Native American tribe currently inhabiting and governing a reservation in north-central Idaho that includes the towns of Ahsahka, Craigmont, Culdesac, Ferdinand, Kamiah, Orofino, Spalding, and Winchester. The reservation is more than 1,195 square miles (3,095 square km).
The city of Lapwai, Idaho is the seat of the Nez Perce government. The tribe’s name, a French term meaning pierced nose, was coined by an interpreter who traveled with Lewis and Clark in the early 19th century despite the fact that the tribe never practiced body piercing. Members of the Nez Perce tribe prefer to refer to themselves as Nimi’ipuu or “real people.”
Lewis and Clark were the first Caucasians to encounter the Nez Perce tribe when they entrusted some of the group’s horses to the tribesmen as the scouts continued west by boat. Prior to this initial contact, the Nez Perce tribe lived on approximately 17 million acres (69,000 sq km) in what is today the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The tribe migrated throughout the year in search of food and bison to hunt. There were estimated to be more than 6,000 Nez Perce in the early 19th century, but disease and armed conflict with the US government reduced the population to about 19 in the 20th century.
By the mid-19th century, a large settler population had arrived and coveted the land of the Nez Perce. In 1863, the tribe was offered a hospital, money, and a school in exchange for moving to a small reservation in Idaho. The threat of relocation split the Nez Perce tribe into two factions, a band that approved the treaty and a band led by Chief Joseph who opposed it. After a long campaign of resistance to sanctuary in Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered to the US Army in 1877. His remaining followers were first buried in a prison camp for several months and then taken to a large reservation in Oklahoma known as Indian Territory before finally being transferred to the present Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho.
The Nez Perce tribe has a proud tradition of horse riding and horse breeding that was interrupted during the turmoil of the 19th century. The tradition was revived in 1994 and 1994 with the establishment of a Nez Perce ranching program by the tribe and the First Nations Development Institute, a non-profit group. The tribe crossed an Asian horse breed known as the Akhal-Teke with the Appaloosa to create the Nez Perce horse, a brown and white spotted horse that is prized for its endurance and jumping ability.
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