HELP US PROTECT United States PREHISTORIC SITES Department of Forest Service All historic and prehistoric artifacts are Agriculture protected by law, with serious penalties for violators. This includes cultural material exposed on the land surface as well as sites covered by accumulations of dust and soil. If you find traces of prehistoric use ANCIENT PEOPLE during your visit to the Nez Perce Forest, of the please do not disturb them. These precious Appaloosa Horse archaeological remnants provide a fragile NEZ PERCE and irreplaceable link to the past. NATIONAL FOREST The name “Appaloosa” comes from the Notify the nearest Forest Service office Palouse River of Eastern Washington and is about your discovery. Scientists can gain used to identify the breed of horses devel- significant knowledge of ancient people, oped by the Nez Perce. their lives and culture from these sites and By the time Lewis and Clark met the Nez artifacts. Knowledge is lost forever when Perce people they were raising vast herds of sites are disturbed. superior horses. Lewis noted that one man We still have much to learn about the owned 1,500 head, “50, 60 or a hundred hed prehistory of the Nez Perce National Forest. is not unusual for an individual to possess.” Both of the Captains were amazed at the quality of the animals and the skill with For further information on the history which they were handled. In his journal and prehistory of the Nez Perce Indians, Lewis commented, “I have no hesitation in please contact: declaring my beleif that the Indian method of Nez Perce National Historical Park gelding is preferable to that practiced by Box 93, Highway 95 Spalding, ID 83551 ourselves.” He went on to write, “ It is (208) 843-2261 astonishing to see these people ride down Harder Phase Projectile Points those steep hills which they do at full speed.” (ca. 2000-700 Years Ago) The Nez Perce people embraced the The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) horse and it had an enormous impact on prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, their way of life, providing them the mobility color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabili- to reach far beyond their traditional lands, ties who require alternate means of communication of allowing them to hunt buffalo in Montana, program information should contact the USDA’s TARGET more effectively deal with their enemies and Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD). trade with far away tribes. The Nez Perce To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, have recently instituted a modern program to USDA, Washington, DC 20250, or call (202)245-6340 (voice) A Guide to the Prehistory reestablish their tradition of breeding superior or (202)720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer. of the Forest horses. R1-00-21 THE NEZ PERCE PEOPLE NEZ PERCE AND THE HORSE Humans have played, hunted, lived and While the horse originated in North died on the lands of the Nez Perce National America, it became extinct on this continent Forest for 11,000 years or more. Long before about 15,000 years ago. Luckily some of any written records the Nez Perce Indians, these marvelous animals had found their way their ancestors and others utilized the vast across the land bridge to Asia. They thrived areas which now compose this marvelously on the vast Asian grasslands, eventually diverse and unique unit of the National Forest spreading west to Europe. Humans soon System. learned to domesticate the horse and used The Nez Perce Indians know themselves them for transportation more than 5,000 years as the Numipu. Other variations are spelled Conical Pit House ago. Ne-mee-poo and nimpoo, or the “real The Spaniards, in their campaign of people”. The name “Nez Perce” means conquest, reintroduced the horse to North “Pierced Nose” in French. The Shoshone The Nez Perce constructed their homes America. As animals strayed, were stolen or tribe referred to the country west of the from a variety of materials, taking full advan- lost in battle, native people soon acquired Bitterroots as the Land of the Pierced Nose tage of what was readily at hand. Many of horses and enthusiastically assimilated them Indians when communicating with the Lewis their dwellings were semi-subterranean, with into their way of life. By 1690 the horse had and Clark expedition. Clark wrote in his the floor excavated into the ground and the reached the Shoshone people of Southern journal, “The Cho-pun-nish or Pierced nose roof covered with earth and sod. These were Idaho. Although they really had no pressing Indians are Stout likely men, handsom easy to warm in the winter and cool in the need for horses in their land of mountains and women, and verry dressey in their way.” summer. Their low profile protected occu- rivers, the Nez Perce were intrigued by the Later he wrote, “The orniments worn by the Chopunnish are, in their nose a single shell of pants from the harsh winter winds. animals and soon traded for some. The Nez Wampom.” The Nez Perce were the only Perce lands proved to be a perfect place to permanent residents of the lands now compos- raise horses. ing the Nez Perce National Forest, although STONE TOOLS The Nez Perce became skilled horsemen Many of the Nez Perce’s tools for and learned to selectively breed superior other Native American groups visited, traded hunting, fishing, cooking, etc. were fashioned and traveled throughout the area. animals, gelding the less desirable stallions from stone. Often this material was river and continuously upgrading their stock with rounded cobble, obsidian, chert, basalt and new blood. While other tribes painted their USE OF RESOURCES chalcedony. Trade with neighboring people horses with spots to make them colorful, the Prehistoric occupants of the Nez Perce made stone types available that were not Nez Perce, with their selective breeding National Forest made use of the vast resources found in the Nez Perce’s own territory. Some techniques, were able to produce hundreds of available there. These included a variety of of these tools were very crude, quickly naturally spotted animals. plants, mammals, birds and fish. These fashioned for a project and immediately highly mobile people procured resources at discarded. Others were carefully and pains- diverse locations throughout the forest in the takingly fashioned into tools or weapons that spring, summer and fall, retreating to villages are nothing short of works of art. along the major rivers in the winter.