The Nez Perce Tribe is a friendly one, always looking to the future as well as the past. The preservation of their way of life is important tothe Nez Perce people. TheNez Perce are extremely devoted to their culture, their homeland, the preservation of Mother Nature, and the future of their tribe. Recently, the Nez Perce Tribe has been active in their purchase of 10,300 acres of their ancestral homeland, as well as rebuilding the populations of the gray wolf, salmon, and steelhead. The tribal government of the Nez Perce is much like the United States government, with a Constitution and elections for the tribal committee.
In 1877, the Nez Perce were taken from their homeland in the Wallowa Valley, Oregon, and drien onto a reservation in Idaho. Now, over a century lter, the Nez Perce are recovering their ancestral homeland. Recently, the Nez Perce Tribe purchassed 10,300 acres for $2.5 million from the Bonneville Power Administration. However, the tribal members will not live on this land and will still remain on their reservation in Idaho. Theland is being turned into the Chief Joseph Wildlife Preserve. The Bonneville Power Administration has also offered $2 million to purchase the neighboring 6,000 acres, as well as $450,000 to maintain the land.
For decades, the Nez Perce have been legally and politically involved in the preservation of endangered wildlife and their habitats. Recently, the Nez Perce tribe has devoted much of their time and money to the preservation of they gray wolf, salmon, steelhead, as well as rebuilding a herd of Appalossa horses as a program for troubled youth.
The Nez Perces' Tribal Executive Committee consists of nine members, each serving a three-year term and are elected by a majority vote from the tribe. The tribal bylaws and Constitution were adopted on April 2, 1948. The Tribal Committee cares for economic develoment, natural resources, social services, and the investments of the tribe. In addition, theNez Perce has a court system, and is an active member of the Affilitated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Recently, the Nez Perce tribe received a financial settlement from the Indian Claims Commission.
The devotion of the Nez Perce to their heritage is, to say the least, very admirable. The Nez Perce as people strive to find their past, as well as their future. The Nez Perce have formed a future for the tribe and Mother Nature, insuring that future generations will know their heritage.
The Nez Perce tribe has a rich and deep culture that can and will hopefully bepreserved in the youth of today. The Nez Perce lived the type fo Indian life that modern people seem to think wascommon. They lived in tipis and raisedcrops of their own. When preparing their good, it was done carefully and thoughtfully. The Nez Perce wore moccasins and ankle length dresses for the women, and often times armor for the men. They believed in a spirit called the"Old One." To them, he made the Earth and everything in it and on it. Nez Perce celebrations wererather common and included dances, gambling, and numerous activities.
The Nez Perce developed an early type of mobile home. This is because they traveled by season. For example, during the summer, they moved to the mountains, but during the winter, they moved to the valley. Overall, the Nez Perce had 17 million acres of territory in which they lived. They traveled in groups, or little villages. They lived in average size tipis which they made out of buffalo skin.
Moccasins, dresses, and armor were normal clothing for the Nez Perce. Women mostly wore shirts, leggings, moccasins, and ankle-length dresses which weremade from soft sheepskin. The men wore just about the same clothing as the women wore, except of course for thedresses. They would also sometimes wear body armor and shields. Their clothing was made out of elk skin.
The Nez Perce raised their own small gardens filled with crops. They mostly raisedpotatoes and grain. They would settle on patches of farmland along creeks and riers tohelp their food grow better and healthier. Each family had about 20 acres of land, so there was plenty of room. When they prepared their food, they did it carefully. They cleaned all their food they had harvested, and they went throgh several stepsto make their meal just right.
The Nez Perce has lots of celebrations. The first week of march was a time to celebrate. They had E-PEH-TAS dances on that week. Throughout the year, they had annual camp meetings, dances, gamgling, and many other gamesand activities. The Nez Perce had a busy and interesting culture. They raised their own food, traveled by season, and most of all, had fun and games! The Nez Perce not only have an interesting culture, they have an interesting past. However, not all of their history is as wonderful as their culture.
Known as a helpful tribe, the Nez Perce lived in peace with the whites since first contact with French trappers around 1750. If it hadn't have been for this kind tribe, the famous explorers of the Lewis and Clark expedition would have surely died during 1805. The Nez Perce welcomed and fed the crew of men although they had very little food for themselves. The Nez Percecould also brag aboutneverkilling a singlewhite man untilthe USgovernmetn stole their land.
With thesigning of the treaty of 1855, Joseph the Elder helped Washington's territorial governor set up a Nez Perce reservation. This land was located in parts of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. In 1863, the gold rush pushed into the Nez Perce territory. The federal governmt took six millioin more acres of this land that the 1855 treaty protected and restricted the Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho because of the gold rush. The Nez Perce woul dnot sign the treaty that would make this official.
A national celebrity known as"Chief Josepth" wasborn in the Wallowa Valley, northeastern Oregon, in 1840. His tribal name was Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, or Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain. French men, settlers, and white Americans knewhim as young Joseph because hisfather was also Joseph. When Young Joseph's father died in 1871, Joseph took his place as leader.
Joseph resisted all efforts to force his band onto the small Idaho reservation. In 1877, General Oliver Otis Howeard threatened an attack on Joseph and his band if they did not follow orders. Joseph reluctantly led his people toward Idaho. Nez Perce warriors,enraged at the loss of their homeland, killed several whiteswho lived in nearby settlements. The army began to caseJoseph's band and others who didnotmove into the Idaho reservation. This was one of themost brilliant military retreats inAmerican history. Joseph and his band traveled 1,400 milesuntil they could go no further. They were surrounded and had to fight.
The battle in White Bird Canyon was the first war of the Nez Perce. The seond war was in North Fork, Clearwater. It was a two-day battle. In threemonths, the band of 700 fought 2,000 U.S. soldiers. When they were just 30 milesfromthe Canadian border and safety, the tribe surrendered. Instead of being taken to their original reservation, they were tkane to another place in Oklahoma where many of them died from epidemic diseases. Joseph died in 1904; hisdoctor said he died of a broken heart.
Although the White Americans were never fair to the Nez Perce, the tribe always stayed fair andhelpful until they had no choice. They are still famous today for their Appaloosa horsesand hopefully the Nez Perce tribes itself will never be forgotten.
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The Yurok
The Yurok Tribe is one of the most peaceful Native American tribes in California. They are located in Humboldt County. The Yurok have one of the most advanced governments of all Native Americans. The Yurok people havenever signed a treaty with the US government. The Yurok are now making a comeback in their language, although only 12 people still speak it fluently.
Past History. The Yurok Tribe is a very well-known tribe in California. The Yurok have maintained a steady piece of land. Over all the years that white people have been in Northern California, the Yurok have never made a treaty over land. Any of the treaties have only been on fish or gaming, so in this way, the Yurok maintained all of their property.
There have been important people in the Yurok Tribe. A very important modern day educator in the Yurok tribe is David Risling. He was born April 10, 1921. He graduated from UC Davis and became committed to making a change. Today, he is devoted to educating young Native Americans about their history, culture, and current government issues.
There are hundreds of Yurok myths, all are about different subjects from different sources about the tribe, including birth, hunting, death, and resurrection.
TheYurok tribe had many visits from white people groups of white people visited the Yurok tribe before 1850, including Captain John Jennings and his crew, Jedidiah Smith and his followers, nad Harrison Rogers and his men. Mostly the visits involved gold, but sometimes their purpose was trading.
Recent History. I-U-QUEE means "hello" in Yurok. The Yuroks have always spoken their language. It has never changed. The tribe offers many employment opportunities to tribal members, everything from office jobs to logging. The Yurok Tribe is currently the largest organized tribe in California. The reservation is the same location today as it was one hundred years ago.
The Yurok language is still currently being spoken fluently by only 12 remaining tribal members. Seven of the twelve speakers have recently agreed to be a part of the "master apprentice" program which means a fluent speaker will be teaching a younger tribal member the language. There are also language classes being taught in three different locations. One of the reasons that thelanguage is being revived is because of an education program that the Yurok Tribe is sponsoring.
The Yurok Tribe currently only has one casino which is located on the reservation in Klamath (Requa). The casino is only about three years old. The first season the casino wasopen, the area had very harsh rains. The casino was located close to the river, which flooded. The casino was then moved down river about three miles. The casino on the Yurok reservation isn't like many other Indian casinos inthat it is not a huge money maker for the tribe. There are no museums on the Yurok land, but there aremuseusm in Hoopa, Eureka, and at Trees of Mystery that all display Yurok items such as traditional clothing, basketry, and ceremonial regalia. Sine the Hoopa and Yurok cultures are similar, their artifacts are often mislabled and lwhen you think you are looking at a Hoopa artifact, it could actually be a Yurok artifact.
The Yurok tribe has the most members and is the biggest tribe in California. The Yuroks have 4,079 tribal members. In order to become a member you must be 1/8 Indian. (You don't have to be Yurok.) Also, you must have a parent or family member who is already a tribal member. The type of employment available on the reservation is limited to what is located on the reservation such as working at the store, hotel, gas station, restaurant, casino, or the tirbal offices located in Klamath or in Weitchpec. There are many jobs that employ Yurok tribal members who live off the rervation but work on the reservation. These jobs include forestry, fishing, government, education, health and wellness, planning and development, financing, and various other jobs.
Government. The Yurok are a peaceful tirbe. They have never been in a war because all of their disputes are handled in court. The G-O Road controversy was over a logging road from Gasquet to Orleans. This case went all the way to the US Supreme Court. The Yurok have a constitution made of 14 articles. The Yurok tribe has only two sovereignty issues - fishing and timber.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Yurok and other Northern California tribes brought a law suite against the timer companies in Northern California. The tribes first won the case, but the timber companies then appealed. The first ruling held up in the District Court of Appeals. The third time the case was heard was held up the the US Supreme Court. The reason that the court held up all the other courts is because the Yurok needed quiet land for meditation and religious purposes.
The Yurok tribes have one of the most advanced governments of all Native Americans. They were voting for their representatives twenty years before the other Native Americans. They are one of the most sovereign Indian nations. The Yurok have been relatively lucky because they have not had many sovereignty issues. One of the two sovereignty issues that the Yurok have had to deal with is fishing regulations. A big part of the Yurok's culture is fishing for food and the Untied States government has tried to regulate theway they fish, how much they fish, and when they fish. The second sovereignty issue is thegovernment trying to regulate the foresting that the Yurok do. The United States government wants tocontrolhow much logging the Yurok do, but it is a huge part oftheir culture.
There are two ways that the Yurok people get benefits. Both ways are made from their own profits becasue the Yurok Tribe never signed a treaty with the US goverment. The main way is from a court case that Jessie Short won. The case was about fishing rights and the wrongful taking of Yurok land. When a tribal member who was alive at the time that the case was settled turns 18, they get a check from that case. The other way that the Yurok people get benefits is if there is a surplus in foresting funds. Then, that money goes towards tribal needs. For example, themoney from 1998 and 1999 is going towards building a new tribal office in Klamath.
The win at the Supreme Court was a huge step in the right direction for the Yurok Tribe. However, the future generations will have to make some adjustments because the Jessie Short money will not be there for them. TheYurok government is still going to be one of the most peaceful, but poweverful, Indian Nations in the 21st Century.
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Past History. In 1620, the Pequots were numbered around 6,000. After a smallpox epidemic, the Pequot population went down by 3,000. Less than half are believed to have survived this deadly disease. Many of the people who died were younger children and older ladies and gentlemen. The reason they believe that the younger children died was because they were not able to care for thmselves. Older people also had a hard time taking care of themselves when they got sick.
During the 1620s and 1630s, the Pequot became determined to take over the Connecticut fur trade. One of the other tribes the Pequot was having conflict with was the Mattabsesic. The Mattabesic did a lot of trading with the Dutch which made the Pequot unhappy.
In the summer of 1636, the Pequot War started, when a Boston trader, John Oldham, was killed. The Niantic captured his boat near Block Island. The Pequot called this war a "holy war." During this time, the Niantic captured 1,000 Pequot women and children. On May 26, 1637, the combined forces of the English, Narragansetts, and Mohegans attacked the Pequot fort at Mystic, killing nearly all (about 600) Pequots.
Culture. The Pequot tribe had semi-permenent villages of medium-sized long houses and wigwams. For this reason, it is difficult today to tell the different betweenthe site of a Pequot village and that of other tribes. Themain different is that Pequot villages were almost always heavily protected. The Pequot were not that much larger than the tribes surrounding them, but they differed from other Algonquin in their political structure.
The Pequot tribe grew different types of crops. Some of these crops were corn, beans, squash, and tobacco. The Pequot people hunted with an emphasis on fish and seafood because of their coastal location. The Pequots' clothing was very interesting. Men wore breechcloths of the fitted type with the flaps haning down in front and in back. At times, a kilstsyle breechcloth was worn and sometimes the apron type with the front and back sewn together was worn. These breechcloths were often decorated with quillwork or embroidery. Women in early times wore a simple wraparound skirt which was knee-length and held in place by a belt. It overlapped on the side, forming what is called "the Algonquin split skirt."
The Pequot villages were heavily protected. Becausse they were heavily protected, they won most of their battles when they were under attack. The Pequot tribe relied on their environment for food, clothing, and housing.
Government and Current Issues. Gaming is an isue of tremendous interest for the Pequot tribe. Because they have the most profitable casino in the world, they can give jobs to many tribal members. The Pequots have a goernment set up with many different jobs. Tribal members do receive some benefits fromthe U.S. Government and have many sovereignty issues.
With only 150 members, the Pequots have made the largest and most profitable casino in the world. Foxwood (the Casino), employs 11,000 people. Pequot tribal members are guaranteed a job on the reservation or in the casino. The casino also helps pay for college tuition, health insurance, and child care for members. The tribe pays for all educational expenses from kindergarten through graduate school. The tribal members also get a yearly bonus as long as they keep to a strong or strict educational plan. One of the tribe's sayings is "No school, no money."
The Pequots have a representative government. They also have an annual meeting on the third Sunday of July each year. Of the 150 members in the tribe, only 85 have voting rights. The Pequot government consists of a seven-person Tribal Council. Agnes Cuhna has been the Chairperson the Council since 1987. Jim Cuhna is also on the Council. He is the Tribal Chief and the Tribal Treasurer. Chief Jim Williams Sr. has been the Grade Chief since 1996, and sits on the Council as a Tribal Elder. The other Tribal Elders are Bertah Brown and Beverly Kilpatrick. Frances Young is the Vice Chairperson, Gina Hogan is the Secretary, and Christine Meisner is the Councilperson.
The benefits the tribe receives are mainly through gaming. Due to the gaming revenues, the Pequot's can exercise their sovereignty through zoning ordinances, court system, police force,and jail.
Obviously, the casino has been a big help for the reservation. Jobs are guaranteed on the reservation or in the casino. Education is guaranteed as long as the people are devoted enough to go through college. Because of all this, the Pequots are able to live a better life and provide many benefits for their tribal members.
Recent History. The recent history ofthe Pequot Tribe involves their casino, but reservation and tribal issues are important too. Their reservation is in Oklahoma and most of the Pequot tribe live on the reservation. There are 150 members currently in the tribe. The casino is located in Oklahoma on the reservation. To help build the casino, they got a four million dollar loan from the Arab American Bank. The Pequots are one of the most respected tribes because of how they manage their income on the reservation. To live ont he reservation you have to have certain amount of Pequot blood. If you live on the reservation, you can get a job at the casino if you want to. You also get a free college education paid by the Pequots. The reservation is currently two hundred acres.
The Pequot tribe is still expanding. They want to build a seventeen story hotel. They also want to build a two hundred million dollar museum. The Pequot tribe is also planning to build an Asia theme park. They want a memorial replica of the Great Wall of China. They also want golf courses and a campground. They already have built a child development center and a community center. They are building new housing for the members who live on the reservation.
The casino has contributed to the tribe by helping them have houses and education. Without their properties, they would probably not be as well recognized and as well educated. They would not have improved housing. Without the casino, they would not be as wealthy and prosperous as they are today.