The Nez Perce Tribe

Nez Perce Chief Joseph, one of the most famous tribal leaders in American history. His surrender speech included the poetic phrase, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

The Nez Perce homeland once consisted of 13 million acres in what is now Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The original land base included significant portions of six different drainages. Today, the reservation consists of 750,000 acres, of which 13 percent is owned by the tribe.

The management of land and natural resources continues to be paramount for the Nez Perce. The tribe is trying to buy back some of the 7.5 million acres originally reserved in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. The tribe's strong fish program employs nearly 50 full-time and part-time workers. Nez Perce co-management responsibilities extend to the Columbia, Snake, Tucannon, Grande Ronde, Imnaha, Clearwater and Salmon drainages. Tribal members fish on the Clearwater River, which runs through the reservation near its northern and eastern borders, and on the Columbia, Rapid and Selway rivers.

The General Council, which includes all voting-age members of the tribe, elects the nine- person Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee (NPTEC), the tribe's governing body. The tribe's fish and wildlife committee is made up of appointed members of NPTEC. The tribe, whose enrolled membership is about 3,000, is headquartered in Lapwai, Idaho.