What Was It Like To Be A Girl In The Nez Perce Tribe?

What Was It Like To Be A Child In The Nez Perce Tribe? By Catie Urquhart

Culture

There used to be over 500 bands of Nez Perce. Now it is unknown.

The Nez Perce people have a really strong culture. They believed that before people lived a coyote created them. They believed in the god Hunyawat. Each night they would take a sip of cold river water to give thanks to him. They said a prayer.

Click on the speaker to hear pronunciation of Nez Perce. They call themselves Nimipu. (The Native People)Click on speaker to hear pronunciation.

The name Nez Perce was given to them because they had pierced noses and Nez Perce means nose piercing in French.

The Calendar We-Lu-Poop --- When cold air travels. Koy-Sal --- The blue-back salmon swim in the streams. Ah-La-Tah-Mal --- It is hard to make fires, the fuel is scarce. Ta-Ya-Al --- It’s Midsummer, hot weather. Lah-Te-Tal --- There are new plants and flowers. Wa-Wama-Aye-Khal --- The chinook salmon swim in the streams. Keh-Kee-Tal --- The first root harvest. PeKoon-My-Kal --- The fall salmon swim in the streams. Ah-Pah-Al --- They make loaves from the kouse root. Heel-Lal --- The snow melts in the mountains. Hope-Lal --- The tamatack trees lose their needles. Toos-Te-Ma-Sa-Tal --- They travel to the high country to dig roots. Sek-Le-Waal --- The leaves fall and cold comes to the high country. Ha-Soo-Al --- Eels swim in the streams. Ha-Oo-Koy --- There is a new life in deer and elk.

INTERESTING FACTS Dogs were good companions for children. They helped keep them safe.

Their land covered 27,000 miles of today’s

Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Nez Perce Animal Words

cíq'a·mqal

sík'em

qoq'á·l

hími·n

yá·ka'

k'oy'am'á

k'ayk'áyoc

sác'as

hé·y'uxc

wisé·w

tilípe'

cílmi

Their tribal flag.

Their treaty emblem was special to them. They had it on a lot of things, including their flag.

Giving Birth When a baby was born his/her mother would have to go live away at a birthing lodge. The mother would live with other women who would care for her until the baby was born. When the baby was born the mom went home and there was a celebration. The people danced and sung. They would do this to celebrate a new tribe member. The mother would put a baby in a cradle board. The cradle board was a blanket nailed onto a piece of wood that had a big curve at the top. There were straps on the back. In the bottom of the cradle board there was moss and other natural items that acted as a natural diaper. While working, a mother could put the cradle board on her back, hang it on a saddle, or set it against a fence.

Pony Pals

Some bands had over 1,000 horses.

They bred the Appaloosa horse. The Nez Perce people lived with horses for their whole life. When they were babies, they rode on them in the cradle board. When they were toddlers, they rode on a horse attached to their parents horse to go picking berries or go hunting. By the time they were 9 or 10 they could walk, trot, canter, gallop, and train any horse. When they grew up they went collecting berries and went hunting on their horses.

Clothes Girls normally wore simple deerskin clothes with very few shells or pictures painted on them. They spent ages making fancy clothes like the two shown below. They wore their hair braided.

On special occasions they wrapped otter fur around their braids. Boys normally wore simple deerskin pants or loin clothes. (As a young child they normally wore pants.) They wore fancy clothes like the shirt shown below for special occasions. They wore their hair braided.

Home

A Long House could hold up to 10 families. A Teepee or a Earth House could hold one family. (That is including grandparents.)

Long House

Earth House

Teepee

The Nez Perce used Long Houses in the winter. They used Tule mats. Tule mats swell in the rain so water can’t get through. They let in a breeze if it is hot.

The Nez Perce used Earth Houses in the summer. They weaved bark, sticks and leaves into a house with a rounded top.

The Nez Perce used Teepees in the Summer. They wrapped deer skin around some sticks attached together.

Chores and Play The Nez Perce children had regular chores like some children now. The girls helped their mothers and grandmothers pick berries, cook, sew, and care for the ill and babies. The boys helped their fathers go hunting, fish, and build. Even though they had chores they found time for play. The girls would make mini teepees and dolls. Boys would chase each other around. All the kids enjoyed playing a tossing game with pinecones to find out who throws the best. They also liked playing the hoof game. The hoof game is simple. There are 6 deer hoofs attached to some string. The string is attached to a stick. You launch the string up and try to catch the hoofs on the stick. Sounds like fun!

Cuisine

The Nez Perce ate wide variety of food from nature. They fished and hunted. They ate a lot of salmon from the streams.

Land

They lived in the Pacific Northwest of the United States Of America. They lived in a plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains.

Choosing Love By Dancing To get engaged all the young men and women gathered in a circle. Men on the outside, women on the inside. All of the men had sticks. They would dance in a circle. When he found the girl of his choice he would place his stick on her shoulder. If the girl left it on she chose him too. Nez Perce Couple

Want to learn more? http-//www.native-langua#19058D http-//www.nezperce.org/#190588 Nez Perce FAQ.webloc Nez Perce National Histo#1905E3

I hope you enjoyed the presentation!! 