The Nez Perce Of Idaho: A Different History

Each October, the Nez Perce remember the Battle of Bear Paw, part of the Nez Perce War. For America’s indigenous people, the ‘land of opportunity’ instigated forced relocation and many had to end their way of life.

In 1877, Queen Victoria became Empress of India, Swan Lake debuted in Russia, the Cambridge–Oxford Boat Race ended in ‘dead heat’, and over 800 Nez Perce joined other indigenous American tribes in becoming a landless, then a defeated people. Every year on October 5, a handful of the Nez Perce travel from the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in northern Idaho to the site of their 1877 surrender at the Battle of Bear Paw in Montana.
Dramatic changes to their way of life followed the surrender. As with numerous other indigenous people who lived in the Americas before exploration and colonization, they were forcibly moved from camp to camp, between Kansas, Oklahoma, and Washington state, before eventually being relocated to the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in northern Idaho.
Despite the importance of the native population in the story of America’s westward expansion, more often than not, Native Americans are overlooked in the history of the United States. Every child who went to school in America knows about the native people who lived on the land before Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas and before their parents and grandparents traveled all parts of the world, but little real attention is paid to their culture or history.

Take, for instance, U.S. national holidays. The brevity of the national history of the United States is offset by the number of holidays that generate civic pride. Its eleven federal (public) holidays include the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Washington’s Birthday (commonly known as ‘Presidents Day’), Independence Day, and Columbus Day, among others. Yet there is no holiday to celebrate or remember the indigenous American population.
Native Americans are most visible in North American culture in sports, where American sports teams such as the Washington Redskins (National Football League) and Atlanta Braves (Major League Baseball) use Native American mascots to evoke ideas of heroism and a warrior spirit. Unless publicity comes with real efforts to understand, perhaps it is better to be overlooked than to be turned into public spectacle.
By Stephanie Chang

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.