Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) culture and our homelands are intricately intertwined; understanding one brings a deeper understanding of the other. The ancient relationship between Nimiipuu and our homelands were diminished through colonization and assimilation, and yet the efforts to remain resilient and revitalize the cultural lifeways continues as it has for millennia. The legacy can only continue by the ways it has since time immemorial – by being adaptive in the changing political, social, physical, and spiritual systems of the new days. Through a community-based approach and in partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, Idaho Fish and Game, and Nez Perce National Historical Park, sharing knowledge of our homelands is changing the conversation about protection (conservation) and healing (restoration).
Results/Conclusions
Nimiipuu’neewit: Lifeways of Our Homelands is an initiative developed by two Indigenous women in the community (Ciarra Greene and Maggie Picard – Saddle Lake Cree Nation). The vision is to provide both participants and partners an opportunity to learn about Nimiipuu culture and our homelands through our seasonal round, a phenological lifeway that permeates cultural values of the past, current, and generations to come.