Nimi'ipuu
The Real People

The river region of the Nimi'ipuu People, who were called Nez Perce by fur trappers, allowed them to live a much more secure life than the arid desert allowed to the Bannock & Sosoni'.

Image: Idaho Museum of Natural History

Because the Nimi'ipuu founded their villages along the banks of the Clearwater, Salmon, and Snake River drainages the resources available to them were somewhat easier to gather and hunt.

This mountainous region of Idaho has outstanding changes in elevation which allows a diversity of animals and plants to thrive. The Nez Perce, like the Shoshoni & Bannock, had to migrate seasonally to gather and hunt food, but the relative plenitude of the resources encouraged these People to live and associate within settled villages during much of the year. Local villages usually had populations from 30 to 200 individuals, which permitted the Nimi'ipuu People to develop into the largest population in Idaho before settlement by land hungry pioneers.

Let's Learn About The Nez Perce People