By Arwyn, Annabel, Anders, Albert and Rohil The Nez Perce By Arwyn, Annabel, Anders, Albert and Rohil

Introduction If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. -Chief Joseph The Nez Perce had their own traditions and culture before the Europeans came and squished them onto reservations. They still used their old traditions, but there wasn’t a lot of space to hunt. Soon, they took up a few of the white men’s inventions and now are a little different. We want to keep the Nez Perce old traditions, and spread the information.

Homes and Shelters What comes to mind when you think about the Nez Perce Homes? It was not all that fancy, but it was plenty. Teepees Teepees were small, movable homes. Teepees were made by deer or buffalo skin wrapped along a long pole that were quite similar to longhouses, but lacked of space. Teepees had a hole in the the center of them which gave air, light, and support.

Longhouse Longhouses were much bigger compared to teepees, but not portable. The regular longhouse is made of roots, sticks of wood, reeds, grasses and skins. They could hold 20-40 people. The houses were used a lot to dry meat, for living, and sleeping.

Food and Diet   The Nez Perce ate a variety of meat including salmon, deer, buffalo, and other wild animals. The tribe also ate plants like roots, berries, and even some mosses. Later, when the white men came and showed them farming, the Nez Perce grew melons, corn, wheat, potatoes, pumpkins, and more. The way the women most often kept meat was to dry or smoke it.

Clothing Traditional clothes were made of shredded cedar bark, deerskin, or rabbit skin. However, once horses were introduced, they were enabled to hunt buffalo, and therefore, started to use buffalo hides.   Nez Perce clothes were often belted and moccasins were worn on their feet. Blankets and gloves were constantly used to keep from the cold. Breastplates were made of narrow dentallium shells obtained by trading with other coastal tribes and later made of buffalo bones. It was a custom to decorate their clothes with fringes. Varied armbands, wristbands, and anklets were also worn for special occasions. Headdresses were made of feathers. Hair was kept long and decorated with plaits and beads for special occasions.

 Mens’ clothes varied from season to season, but usually they wore breechcloths and leggings, or shirts and robes.   In the 1700s, women wore large basket hats woven of dried leaves and plant fibers. Long dresses covered their necks down to the mid calves. Women also wore moccasins in the winter. Large, beautifully decorated bags called parfleche were used to store and carry clothes. Parfleche was made of tough hides. I bet the Nez Perce were very warm during the year!

How the Nez Perce Traveled The Nez Perce tribe often used dugout canoes when crossing or traveling along rivers. The canoes could be up to 60 feet long! The dugout canoes were made by hollowing out tree trunks.     They also used Appaloosa horses when traveling long distances. The Nez Perce were notable horse breeders. The horses had colorful spotted coats. But the Nez Perce mostly just walked!

Do You Have Knives? What comes to mind when you hear the word knives? You may have thought about slicing, well for the Nez Perce it’s war. Do you think the Nez Perce had guns? If yes, you are correct. Europeans brought guns to the Nez Perce. What kind of person uses a shield? Knights. Well the Nez Perce tribe also have shields.

Conclusion We need to bring back the old Nez Perce traditions and culture. We can start by letting them roam around in their old land and wilderness. I hope this presentation told you that the Nez Perce has a lot of interesting ways to thrive.

Citation List Internet Resources Ask. 2015, What were the weapons of the Nez Perce? http://www.ask.com/history/were-weapons-nez-perce-6267a3fe2a4deba1 Aaanativearts. 2008, Plateau Indian Tools and Weapons http://www.aaanativearts.com/colville-tribe/plateau-indian-tools-weapons.htm Nez Perce bow and arrow http://cdn2.accessgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/fig58-pamunkeybow-arrow.jpg Nez Perce Tribe. Alchin, Linda, http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/nez-perce-tribe.htm Nez Perce warrior on horse http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/3156/Nez_Perce_warrior_on_horse.jpg

How They Got Their Food and What They Ate http://thenezperceofnorthamerica.weebly.com/hunting-gathering-and-eating.html What kind of shelter did the Nez Perce people have?, 2009 http://www.nezperce.org/history/frequentlyasked .htm - what