Bl'LL. 30] 



NEZ PERCES 



67 



made up their entire food (^upjily until 

 the introduction of liorses facilitated hunt- 

 ing expeditions to the neighboring moun- 

 tains. The tribe seems to have been 

 divided inti > a number of bands or vil- 

 lages, named according to the place where 

 the permanent winter camp wa- made. 

 Owing to tlie precarious nature of the 

 food supi)ly the greater portion of the 

 inhabitants of any one of these villages 

 would often be absent for a large part of 

 the year, consequently it is impossible to 

 determine with accuracy the location and 

 population of these divisions in early 

 times. There was no head chief of the 

 tribe, but each l)and had several chiefs, of 

 whom one was regarded as the leader, 

 and these chiefs were succeeded by their 

 sons as a rule. Expeditions for hunting 

 or war were led by chiefs chosen for the 

 occasion. There are no signs of a clan 

 system in the social organization of the 

 Nez Perces, and marriage is apparently 

 permitted between any couple except in 

 the case of recognized relationship. 



The religious beliefs of the Nez Perces, 

 previous to the introduction of Christi- 

 anity, were those characteristic of the 

 Indians of the interior, the main feature 

 being the belief in an indefinite number 

 of spirits. The individual might procure 

 a personal protecting spirit in the usual 

 way by rigorous training and fasting. 



The Nez Perces liave always borne a 

 high reputation for independence and 

 bravery, and have been particularly 

 noted for their almost constant friend- 

 liness to the whites. Practically the only 

 rupture in these relations was the Nez 

 Perce war of L877, mentioned above. 



The bands and divisions of the Nez 

 Percy's are known only approximately. 

 The following are the best defined: Al- 

 powna, on a small branch of the Clear- 

 water, below Lewiston, Idaho; Assuti, on 

 Assuti cr., Idaho; Kamiah, at the town 

 of that name on the Clearwater, Idaho; 

 Lamtama, so called from a branch of 

 Salmon r. , Idaho; Lapwai, near the junc- 

 tion of Lapwai cr. and the Clearwater; 

 Willewah, formerly occupying Wallowa 

 valley, Oreg., and now for the greater 

 part on Colville res.. Wash. (Joseph's 

 band). In addition a number of bands 

 have been recorded by the names of their 

 chiefs or their supposed places of resi- 

 dence, (h. w. h. l. f. ) 

 A'dal-k'ato'igo. — Mooney in 14th Rep. B. A. E., 

 744, 1896 ('people with hair cut acros.s the fore- 

 head": Kiowa name). Anipdrspi. — Gatsphet, Kala- 

 puya MS., B. A. E. (Calapooya name) . a-pl-o-pa. — 

 Long, Exped. Roclcy >Its.,"ir, Ixxxiv, l,s23 (Gros 

 Ventre name). A-pu-pe'. — Havden, Ethnog. and 

 Philol. Mo. Val., 40J, ]m;2 ('to" paddle', 'paddles': 

 (Crow name). Asahaptin.— Gatschet, Kalapuya 

 MS., B. A. E., 31 (Calapooya name). Blue Earth 

 Indians. — Cones, Henry and Thompson Jour., 

 7r2. 1897. Blue Mud Indians. — Orig. Jour. Lewis 

 and Clark (180.=)). vi, 106, 190.5 (prohably identical). 

 Blue Muds. — Ibid, (name applied by traders). 



Chappunish.— ROS.S, Fur Hunters, i, 306, 1855. 

 Cheaptin.— Townsend, Narr., 233, 1839. Chipun- 

 ish. — Kip in Oreg. Hist. Soc. Sources, i, pt. 2, 11, 

 1897. Chipunnish.— Kip, Army Life, 33, 1859. Cho- 

 co-nish. — Gass, Journal, 215, 1807. Chohoptins. — 

 Cox, Columbia R., n, r2.5, l.s3l. Chopannish.— 

 Minto in Oreg. Hist. Soc. Quur., i, 30:!, 19U0 (mis- 

 print from Lewis and Clark). Chopemnish.— Ind. 

 .\ff. Rep., 460, l.s."i4. Choponiesh — < »rig. Jour. 

 Lewis and Clark (ISn.')), vn, ll-'i, 19Uo. Chopon- 

 ish.— Ibid., IV, 318. 1905. Choponnesh.— Ibid., ni, 

 103, 1905. Chopunish.— Kelley. Oregon, 68, 1830. 

 Chopunmohees. — RobertsDn, Oregon, 1'29, 1846. 

 Chopunnish. — Lewis and Clark Exped., I, 45.5, 

 isil; II, ris7. 1S17. Flathead.— Gass, Journal, 13'2, 

 1SU7. Green Wood Indians. — Cones, Henry-Thomp- 

 son Jour.. 712, 1897. I'-na-cpe. — Dorsey, Kwapa 

 >r'<. vocab., B. A. E., 1891 (Qnapawname). Kamu'- 

 inu.— Hoffman, MS.. B. A. E., 1884 (own name). 

 Ko-mun'-i-tup'-i-o. — Hayden, Ethnog. and Philol. 

 Mo. Val., 264, 1.S62 (Siksika name). La-ap- 

 tin. — Stevens in Ind. Aff. Rep., 4'25, 1854 (mis- 

 print IAi>TS). Mikadeshitchishi. — Gatschet, Xaisha 

 Ai)ache MS., H. A. E. (Kiowa Apache name). 

 Nazpercies. — Hastings. Guide to Oreg., 59, 1H4.5. 

 Neckpercie. — Lane (1849) in Sen. Ex. Doc. 52, 31st 

 Cong., 1st ses.s., 171, l.sSO. Neepercil. — Lane in 

 Ind. Aff. Rep., 159, 18.')0. Nenpersaas. — Meek in 

 H.R. Ex. Doc. 76, 30th Cong., 1st sess., 10, 1848. 

 Nepercy. — Irving, Bonneville's Advent., 115, 1868 

 (name as pronounced by trappers). Ner Per- 

 cees. — ^couler (l.'<46) in Jour. Ethnol. Soc. Lond., 

 I, 237, 184S. Nes Perces.— Wilkes, Hist. Oregon, 44, 

 1845. Nezierces. — Farnham, Travels. 69, 1843. Nez 

 Perce. — Parker, Journal, 100. 1'^IO. Nez Perce Flat- 

 Heads. — Barrows, Oregon, 121, 1881. Nezperces. — 

 Wyeih (IMS) in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, i, 221, 

 1851. Nez Perce's. ^Latham in Jour. Ethnol. Soc. 

 Lond.. I. 1.58, 1848. Nez percez. — McKennev and 

 Hall, Ind. Tribes, in, 79, 1.^.54. Nezpercies.— Hast- 

 ings, Guide to Oreg., .59, 1845. Nezperees. — Kane, 

 Wanderingsin N. A. ,'290, 18.59. Nez Perse. — Hines, 

 Oregon, 133, 1851. Nezpesie. — Hastings, Guide to 

 Oreg., 59, 184.5. Nez Pierces. — Coyner, Lost Trap- 

 pers, 135, 1847. Nimipu.— Lymaii in Oreg. Hist. 

 Soc. Quar., ii, 288, 1901 ('the people': own name). 

 Numepo. — Kingslev, Stand. Nat. Hist., pt. VI, 

 140, 1885. Nu-me-poos.— Mattoon in Ind. Aff. Rep. 

 1905, 199. 190G. Numipu.— Mowry, Marcus Whit- 

 man, 2.59, 1901. Pe ga'-zan-de. — Dorsey, Kan.sa 

 MS. vocab. , B. A. E., 1882 ( Kansa name"). Pe :^a'- 

 san-^se. — Dorsey, Osage MS. vocab., B. A. E. 

 ( 'plaited hair over the forehead': Osage name). 

 Perces. — Dunn, Hist. Oregon, 3'26, 1845. Piercd 

 Noses.— Orig. Jour. Lewis and Clark (1805), 

 III. 128, 1905. Pierced-nose. — Lewis and Clark 

 Exped., I. 4.55, 1814. Pierced Noses. — Orig. Jour. 

 Lewis and Clark (1805), iii, 78, 1905. Pierce 

 Noses. — Ibid., 142. Po'-ge-tdo-ke, — Riggs, Dak.- 

 Eng. Diet., 423, 1890 (Dakota namei. Sa ap- 

 tin.— Lane (1849) in Sen. Ex. Doc. .52. 31.st 

 Cong., 1st se.ss., 170, 1.850. Sa-aptin.— Gatscliet, 

 Okinagan MS., B. A. E. (Okinagan name; pi. 

 Sa-.'iptinix ). Saaptins. — Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, 

 III, map, "200, 18.53. Sahapotins, — (Jallatin in Trans. 

 Am. Antiq. Soc, ii, map, 1836. Sahaptain. — Ross, 

 Advent., 217, 1849. Sahaptan.— Gatschet mis- 

 quoted in Congres des Amer.. iv, f>t. 1, 285, 1883. 

 Sahaptanian.— Brinton, Am. Race, 108, 1891. Sa- 

 haptin.— Dart in Ind. Aff. Rep., '216, 1851. Sahhap- 

 tinnay, — Featherstonhaugh, Canoe Vov., ii. 62, 

 1847. Saiduka.— Gatschet, MS., B. A. E. (Paiute 

 name). Sapetan. — Smet. Oregon Miss., 210, 1847. 

 Sapetens. — Coues, Henry-Thompson Jour., 709, 

 1897. Sapotans. — Smet. Reisen zu den Felsen- 

 Gebirgen, '205, 1S65. Saptans. — Armstrong, Ore- 

 gon, 111, 18.57. Sap'tin.— Wilkes, West. Am., 97, 

 1849. Sha-ap-tin.— Farnham, Trav., 69, 1843. Sha- 

 haptain.— Ross, Advent., 217, 1849. Shahaptan. — 

 Scoulir in Jour. Geog. Soc. Lond., xi, 225, 1841. 

 Shahaptanian, — Dorsey in Am. Anthrop., ii, 55, 

 18s'.^. Shahaptemish. — Gairdner in Jour. Roy. 

 Geog. Soc. Lond., xi, 2.56, 1841. Shahapts.— Derii- 

 ker. Races of Man, 532, 1900. Shaw-ha-ap-ten.— 

 Ro.ss, Fur Hunters, i, 185, 18.55. Shaw Haptens. — 

 Ross, Advent., 127, 1S49. Shi'wanish. — Moonevin 

 14th Rep. B. A.E..744, 1896 (' strangers from" up 

 the river': Tenino name: applied also to the 

 Cayuse). Shopumish. — Kingsley, Standard Nat. 



