1. Native Americans of the Plateau
Nez Perce
Native Americans
of the Plateau
"All men were made brothers.
The earth is the mother of all people,
and all people should have
equal rights upon it.
Chief Joseph

2. SS4H1: The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North America. b. Describe how the Native Americans used
their environment to obtain food, clothing,
and shelter.
EQ: How did the Nez Perce Indians survive in the environment of the Plateau Region?

3. Their environment was the plateaus and valleys of parts of present-day Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

4. FOOD
The Nez Perce were fishing and hunting people. Nez Perce men caught salmon and other fish, and also hunted in the forests for deer, elk, and other game.
Once they acquired horses, the Nez Perce tribe began to follow the buffalo herds like their Plains Indian neighbors. Nez Perce women also gathered roots, fruits, nuts and seeds to add to their diet.

6. Think about it…
What natural resources did the Nez Perce Indians depend on for food?
Why might they depend on different types of food throughout the year?
Why did they need horses in order to hunt buffalo?

7. SHELTER
*Originally, the Nez Perce lived in settled villages of earth houses. They made these homes by digging an underground room, then building a wooden frame over it and covering the frame with earth and bark.
*There were two styles of Nez Perce earth houses:
- Oval-shaped longhouses could be up to 150 feet. Many families lived together in a longhouse
- Only one family lived in a smaller round house.
Originally, the Nez Perce lived in settled

8. SHELTER
Once the Nez Perce began hunting the buffalo, they began to use tipis like the Plains tribes. Tipis, or teepees, are tall, cone-shaped buffalo-hide houses.
Since Nez Perce hunters moved frequently to follow the buffalo, a tipi was carefully designed to set up and break down quickly, like a modern tent.

10. Think about it…
What natural resources did the Nez Perce Indians depend on for shelter?
Why did the type of shelter they lived in change over time?
What might have caused the Nez Perce to become a tribe that hunted buffalo?

11. CLOTHING
Nez Perce women wore long deerskin dresses. Nez Perce men wore breechcloths with leather leggings and buckskin shirts. Both men and women wore moccasins on their feet. A Nez Perce lady's dress or warrior's shirt was fringed and often decorated with beadwork, shells, and painted designs.

12. Chief Joseph and Red Cloud
Nez Perce Indian leaders did sometimes wear feather headdresses
A Warrior’s Shirt
A Lady’s Dress
Chief Joseph and Red Cloud

13. Think about it…
What natural resources did the Nez Perce depend on for clothing?
Why do some pictures show them wearing very little clothing, while others show them wearing heavier clothing?
What purpose do you think the feathered head dresses served?