Editing Nez Perce (section)

== Aboriginal territory ==
[[File:Nezperce01.png|thumb|220px|Original Nez Perce territory (green) and the reduced reservation of 1863 (brown)]]
The Nez Perce territory at the time of Lewis and Clark (1804–1806) was approximately {{convert|17000000|acre|km2}} and covered parts of present-day [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]], [[Montana]], and [[Idaho]], in an area surrounding the [[Snake River|Snake (Weyikespe)]], [[Grande Ronde River]], [[Salmon River (Idaho)|Salmon (Naco’x kuus)]] ("[[Chinook salmon]] Water") and the [[Clearwater River (Idaho)|Clearwater (Koos-Kai-Kai)]] ("Clear Water") rivers. The tribal area extended from the [[Bitterroot Mountains|Bitterroots]] in the east (the door to the Northwestern Plains of Montana) to the [[Blue Mountains (Oregon)|Blue Mountains]] in the west between [[latitude]]s 45°N and 47°N.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spinden |first=Herbert Joseph |title=Nez Percé Indians |series= Memoirs of the American Anthropological Association, v.2 pt.3 |year=1908 |publisher=American Anthropological Association | oclc = 4760170 |page=172}}</ref>

In 1800, the Nez Perce had more than 70 permanent villages, ranging from 30 to&nbsp;200 individuals, depending on the season and social grouping. Archeologists have identified a total of about 300 related sites including camps and villages, mostly in the Salmon River Canyon. In 1805, the Nez Perce were the largest tribe on the [[Columbia River Plateau]], with a population of about 6,000. By the beginning of the 20th&nbsp;century, the Nez Perce had declined to about 1,800 due to [[epidemics]], conflicts with non-Indians, and other factors.<ref>{{Cite book | last1=Walker | first1=Deward E. Jr. |last2=Jones |first2= Peter N. |title= he Nez Perce |year=1964 |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle |url=http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/walker.html}}</ref> The tribe reports having more than 3,500 members in 2021.<ref name="tribe">{{Cite web|title=Nez Perce Tribe|url=https://nezperce.org/|access-date=April 23, 2021|language=en}}</ref>

Like other [[Indigenous peoples of the Plateau|Plateau tribes]], the Nez Perce had seasonal villages and camps to take advantage of natural resources throughout the year. Their migration followed a recurring pattern from permanent winter villages through several temporary camps, nearly always returning to the same locations each year. The Nez Perce traveled via the [[Lolo Pass (Idaho–Montana)|Lolo Trail (Salish: Naptnišaqs – "Nez Perce Trail")]] (Khoo-say-ne-ise-kit) as far east as the [[Great Plains|Plains (Khoo-sayn / Kuseyn)]] ("Buffalo country") of [[Montana]] to hunt [[American Bison|buffalo (Qoq'a lx)]] and as far west as the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast (’Eteyekuus)]] ("Big Water"). Before the 1957 construction of [[The Dalles Dam]], which flooded this area, [[Celilo Falls|Celilo Falls (Silayloo)]] was a favored location on the [[Columbia River|Columbia River (Xuyelp)]] ("The Great River") for [[salmon|salmon (lé'wliks)]]-fishing. The [[Columbia Basin Initiative]] aims to improve salmon-fishing for the tribe.