Ancestral Wallowa Lands

The Nez Perce in the Wallowa Country

This wall map and exhibit show a small piece of the Nez Perce story—the wal? wa ma band of the ni mi pu who lived in the wal? awa country. There is the story of the “pierced noses”—Nez Perce—and how they got that name, the lineage from wele mutkin (Old Joseph’s father) to tiwi teqis (Old Joseph) to hinmato wyalahtquit (Chief Young Joseph); mention of the Seasonal Rounds and the salmon that sustained the people; and a large map with fishing sites, mountain heights, rivers and some trails marked in English and Cayuse/Nez Perce. We’ll someday have audio for this exhibit, so that you can hear the names of people and places spoken in the language by the people.

This exhibit is available for viewing in the loft of the Josephy Center for Arts & Culture.

Click on the image to zoom over the map