National Park Service NHP U.S. Department of the Interior Big Hole National Battlefield Nez Perce National Historical Park

Mylie Lawyer And Her Collection

Mylie Lawyer has had an interest in her family Hair, one of the Nez Perce leaders who welcomed history since she was a child growing up in Lapwai, Lewis and Clark in 1805. Mylie's collection stands as in the 1920s. Her perseverance has resulted in testimony to her determination to preserve her an extensive collection of stories and artifacts related family's heritage. to her family that includes Chief Lawyer and Twisted

Mylie Lawyer Mylie Lawyer was born on the Pine Ridge stones from an area where her family and Born: March 24, 1912 Indian Agency, South Dakota to Corbett ancestors had camped. and Lillian Allman Lawyer. Corbett worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs She also has fond memories of sitting with (BIA) and Lillian was a teacher. her dad, Corbett and other Nez Perce men as they spoke in the Nez Perce language, After Mylie was born, the family returned telling stories, plucking whiskers, fishing to Lapwai, Idaho where Mylie grew up. and remembering the old days. Mylie did After graduating from Lapwai High School not speak Nez Perce so after these ses- in 1929, she attended Oregon State and sions, she would always ask her dad to Willamette University where she earned a recount the things they had talked about. degree in Home Economy. Even in her college days as she studied home economics she wished she had stud- In the 1930s she worked at the Warm ied anthropology or history instead. It was Springs Indian Reservation teaching home natural that she should become the keeper economics, eventually becoming assistant of the family history, collecting papers, principle at the Warm Springs School. photos and artifacts associated with her families, both Sioux and Nez Perce. Mylie was later assigned to Stewart Indian School, a national boarding school, near Mylie and her mother Lillian were close Carson City, NV. Her chief task was to friends with many of the weavers and bead reorganize the school's kitchen facilities, workers in the area. Her collection reflects where the food service was so poor it was some of the finest work from both Lillian's affecting relations among the various tribes Sioux side and the Nez Perce community. at the school. Her performance was stellar Mylie took special care to protect and pre- and she became known as a problem serve these artifacts, learning some of the solver with BIA. preservation techniques used in the muse- um profession. She resisted pressure from Mylie has always been interested in the collectors and dealers of Indian arts and history of her family and the Nez Perce. As crafts to sell her family collection, espe- a young girl she crawled under one of the cially in the 1960s and 70s when a brisk old buildings at Ft. Lapwai to recover trade in Indian artifacts flourished. papers she and a friend saw. She kept these papers because she thought they At the age of 92, Mylie still lives in Lapwai might be important some day. On the and is a respected elder in the community. Weippe Prairie she recovered two grinding

Corbett Lawyer During a time when Indians were being went east to the Indian School in Carlisle, B: Dec. 13, 1877, Spalding, ID marginalized and ignored, Corbett Lawyer Pennsylvania. After graduating, he taught D: Aug. 22, 1974 in Lapwai, ID and his contemporaries such as Starr at an Indian school in Santa Fe, New Maxwell and Archie Phinney worked to Mexico before returning to Lapwai in 1902 create institutions that allowed the Nez to farm. Perce on the reservation to speak in one voice. In 1907 Corbett went to work for the North Idaho Agency, part of the BIA. Educated by his aunt and his grandmother Corbett's career with the BIA gave him the Tillie, the widow of Chief Lawyer, he opportunity to work with various tribes stayed with them until the age of 11 when including the Nez Perce and Umatilla. he was orphaned. Corbett was taken in by a Chinese family who worked as cooks at In 1909, Corbett married Lillian Allman, the school in Lapwai. While living with an Oglala Sioux, who had been teaching at them he learned to speak some Chinese Lapwai. The couple moved to the Pine and celebrate their holidays. In 1892, he (Continued on other side). Corbett Lawyer Ridge Reservation where Mylie and her In retirement he moved back to Lapwai brother Archie were born. and worked on various projects, includ- ing a Nez Perce grammar book. He When Corbett retired in 1944 his list of passed away in 1974 at the age of 97. accomplishments was impressive. He helped write the first constitution for the Nez Perce tribal government and created an accounting system that become a model for other agencies.

Archie Lawyer Archie Lawyer, one of Chief Lawyers five In the late 19th century, the Presbyterian B: 1843 children and Mylie Lawyer’s grandfather, missionaries were intent on assimilating D: June 2, 1893 came of age during a time of transition the Nez Perce completely, discouraging for the Nez Perce. Born around 1843, he the use of the Nez Perce language and attended Kate McBeth's church school cultural practices. Archie was less strict in Lapwai, influencing his choice to and openly encouraged a mixing of become a Presbyterian minister in 1880. Presbyterian and Nez Perce practices.

In 1878, in the aftermath of the Nez Perce Archie was pastor of the Second War, Archie went to northeast Oklahoma Presbyterian Church in Kamiah, Idaho to tend to the sick of the Joseph band in from the church's founding in 1890 to his exile. When he returned home, some of death in 1893. the survivors of the war followed.

Hallalhotshoot - Chief The Lawyer family namesake is Chief time to time and in 1839, when Asa Smith Lawyer Lawyer or Hallalhotshot. Fur traders, settled near Lawyer's home in Kamiah, B: Between 1793 and 1800 impressed by his bearing and ability to he assisted Smith in assembling a Nez D: January 3, 1876, Lapwai, ID communicate, gave him the name Perce grammar text and learned English. Lawyer. Lawyer's ability to get along with the newcomers, combined with a In 1855, the government stalwart concern over the survival of the negotiated a treaty with the Nez Perce Nez Perce, thrust him into prominence and other tribes living on the Columbia from the 1830s until his death in 1876. River Plateau. Lawyer, who had assumed the position of head man of his band The son of Twisted Hair, Lawyer had after the death of Twisted Hair's brother, been exposed to Euro- Americans from attended the negotiations along with the time he was a little boy. As a young many other Nez Perce chiefs. He was man, he went east to Buffalo country deeply involved in the negotiations and () and was often in the company was one of the signatories of the treaty. of fur traders. In 1832, while traveling with some fur traders, Lawyer was Perhaps because of Lawyer's prominence wounded in the hip at the Battle of among the fur traders, missionaries, and Pierre’s Hole. His wound was such that politicians, as well as his role in the Lawyer required the use of a cane for the negotiations, Lawyer assumed the posi- rest of his life. tion of Chief of the Nez Perce, a position created by the Treaty. Thrust into this His associations with fur traders brought difficult role, Lawyer did his best to pre- him into contact with the first Protestant serve Nez Perce interests. These deci- missionaries coming to Nez Perce coun- sions made Lawyer a controversial figure. try. He assisted Henry H. Spalding from

Twisted Hair Tsap tso kalips kin, known as Twisted of Discovery" members. His band pro- Hair, figures prominently in the story of vided a description of the water route to the Lewis and Clark expedition’s time in the Pacific Ocean and helped find a Nez Perce country in 1805-06. suitable canoe making site on the Clearwater River. Three boys, including Twisted Hair's son who would later became known as Prior to leaving for the Pacific, the expe- Lawyer, were the first to see William dition left their horses in Twisted Hair's Clark and his small party come onto the care. Upon Lewis and Clark's return to Weippe Prairie on September 20th, 1805. Nez Perce country, they met Twisted Hair again and retrieved their horses for Twisted Hair and his band provided the return journey in 1806. food, shelter and guidance to the "Corps

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA