Nez Perce Homeland
Living in Harmony with the Land You are standing near one of the well-worn trails and a crossroads of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and Selish (Salish) peoples. Year round, the Mat'alaayma Bands of the Nimiipuu lived here, wintering along the river. Most of the villages were abandoned in the 1700s, but the Nimiipuu continue to use this area to hunt, fish, gather important plants, camp and recreate.
"Wetes is the sacred (ha'wtnin'), supernatural power contained therein, the invisible laws (tamalwit), acknowledged and sought by our people for hundreds and hundreds of years. This is what the Creator (Hunyawatt), gave us, this is where we were placed, and these are his gifts to us. To us, the earth is more than the land. It is streams and rivers, soil, rocks, and all living things upon the landscape -trees, shrubs, grass, root foods, and berries. This is Wetes. The animals — birds, fish, mammals, insects - they all have their place as rightful owners. - Kalo' (The End)" Diane Mallickan, Nez Perce
(sidebar at left)
"At one time Nez Perce land and the Nez Perce people were inseparable, a part of the vast area stretching between the winding waters of the Wallowas and the highest crests of the Bitterroots. Sharing a common language and culture,
the Nez Perce moved within this region enjoying what the land provided - roots and berries, fish and game, shelter and clothing and fuel - and derived from it both a sustainable economy and a rich spirituality. Strong families formed villages, and villages the tribe, the Nez Perce people were in harmony - with their land, with their people, with their Creator."
Reflections on the Nez Perce National Historic Trail, Chief Joseph Band of the Nez Perce - 1996
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