Pierced-nose Indians

The Pierced-nose Indians ( Nimi' ipuu being the indigenous term, meaning “the men” or “the people”, extremely frequent car-denomination in the whole world - cf ᐃᓄᐃᑦ : Inuit, Халх , Arab word of origin by which the Mongolian of the East are indicated, the Manusha , a branch of the Rroma, etc) is an Amerindian tribe pénute group, which lived in the North-West of the the United States of America at the time of the forwarding of Lewis and Clark (which also bring back a denomination badly attested in addition of “Chopuunish”, corruption of the word Tsútpěli , “the people of the mountains”).

The language of Nimi' ipuu belongs to the family known as “sahaptienne”, or “pénute”.

Pierced-nose Indians or Nimi' ipuu?

Term “Pierced-nose Indians” is perhaps less unsuitable, at the same time because it is preferred by majority of Nimi' ipuu at the time of relations with speakers belonging not to tribe, and because of aucuns advance that he is used by a majority of historians, who are based on the relations of voyages of the French explorers (however largely contestable), the first Europeans to have penetrated so far in America.

Pierced-nose Indian is, in any case, a false interpretation of the translator of Lewis and Clark, when they met the tribe in 1805: this one did not practice the drilling nose and did not carry such ornaments. But there exists a tribe of “bored noses”, near to Nimi' ipuu, which currently lives in the lower basin of the Columbia. It is about a band of the commonly called tribes “Chinook” (or, properly: “Tsinúk”) by the historians and the anthropologists.

Traditional grounds

At the time of Lewis and Clark, Nimi' ipuu occupied a territory of approximately: 69,000 km ². It covered part of the States of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, a zone which included the basins of Clearwater and Snake to rivet it. Nimi' ipuu, like much of Amerindian of the west and the center of the the United States, was wandering which moved their campings according to the Saison S, to be established where food was most abundant. These migrations followed usual routes, semi-permanent establishments the Hiver with temporary camps, generally planted at the same places, year by year. They went thus until the Grandes Plains to Bison S, in the east, to drive out and fish.

Famous members

Most famous of Nimi' ipuu is probably Hinmatón-Yalaktit (cf will infra ).

Another important chief, Allalimya Takanin ( Looking Knell for the english-speaking), born in 1832 and died in 1877. In spite of its resentment due to the cupidity of the White for the Indian grounds and the government project to off-set its people with Lapwai (Oregon), it wished to avoid entering in war with the federal government. But the Howard General was convinced of what Allalimya Takanin, large warlike recognized, would take the weapons and thus ordered its immediate arrest, to which the chief managed to escape. This episode made of Hinmatón-Yalaktit the indéfectible companion of Allalimya Takanin for the retirement of 1877.

Another eminent member of the tribe is archie Mr. Phinney (1903 - 1949), which followed the courses of Franz Boas to the Université Columbia and published a collection of myths and legends of Nimi' ipuu.

Currently, on the traces of Jackson Sundown (a nephew of Hinmatón-Yalaktit), Carl Ray Powaukee gives again a new pride in Nimi' ipuu by his work with the race of the horses Pierced-nose Indians (cf will infra ), after being himself put in saddle at the 16 years age.

Continuation of the Pierced-nose Indians

In 1877, the government of the the United States, in ultimate negation of a treaty delimiting a territory reserved for Nimi' ipuu, sent the army to carry out Manu militari the whole of the tribe in reserve. One of the groups refused the deportation, which it had a presentiment of atrocious, and tried to take refuge with the Canada, following famous the Chef Joseph, however reticent with this retirement, but that Allalimya Akanin finally convinced to act thus. This desperate act was to save the Wallamwatkain (whose name deformed in “Wallowa” was allotted to a valley Oregon).

But an error of judgment made accept Allalimya Akanin that him and his/her companions would be with the shelter with Big Hole, in the Montana, where the men of Colonel Gibbon have surprised the rebels all the same and heavy losses inflicted to them, the August 9th 1877. Allalimya Akanin lost there its prestige and the escape began again.

The tracking continued pitilessly and the rebels were decimated by the blue Tunics (which however underwent several defeats cuisantes), before managing to capture them, the October 5th 1877, Hinmatón-Yalaktit being then convinced that only rendering would save lives.

The same day, whereas it was on the point of joining the chief Lakĥota Tĥatĥanka Iyotĥanka ( Sitting Bull ) in Canada, Allalimya Akanin surprised and was killed by a scout Tsitsista enlisted in the blue Tunics, right before reaching the border.

This Poursuite of the Pierced-nose Indians mobilized, on more than 2.100 km, approximately 2.000 soldiers, for finally imprisoning and off-setting a few hundreds of men, women and children.

I will fight No more…

Hinmatón-Yalaktit (or Chief Joseph , as the Americans and Europeans know it), gang leader Wallamwatkain, continued the fight of its people in the defense of his rights and its culture vis-a-vis the violations repeated by the States-uniens of the various treaties and the promises, in several combat and, finally, at the time of terrible the continuation of Nimi' ipuu.

In 1966, Merrill D. Beal published I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Bores War , already republished on several occasions, so much the interest of the book is large. I will fight never again: Joseph chief and the war of the Pierced-nose Indians is a collection of interviews of descendants, written letters or dictations by direct witnesses of the combat carried out against the deportation of Wallamwatkain in 1877, against the violations of the treaties and the pressures exerted by the federal government. Very documented by the two opposed parts, it is a work (unfortunately) single offering a balanced and essential glance, to have a good knowledge of the condition made in Wallamwatkain in particular, and to the Amerindians in general.

Breeding of horses

Nimi' ipuu are recognized for their equine production. At the 19th century, they had obtained by successive crossings the race of the Appaloosa S, in order to have horses adapted to their needs.

In 1992, under the crook of a Dined married to Nimi' ipuu, Rudy Shebala, they undertakes the Nez Bores Horse Program , enormous work of selection based on the crossing of Appaloosa S and Akhal-Teke S, the Turkménistan and the north of the Iran, to produce a new distinct race, the horses of the Pierced-nose Indians . It is a programme of restoration of the breeding of horses of Nimi' ipuu, founded on their tradition of breeding and selection, destroyed at the 19th century, in particular by the pure and simple flight their horses by the army. This work is financed by the Administration for Native Americans , the tribal council nimi' ipuu and an association with not-lucrative goal, the First Nations Development Institute , without counting the support of the Appaloosa Horse Club (international association based with Moscow, in the Idaho) and the incommensurable efforts of Rudy Shebala, whose work is not limited to the equine ones, because it also aims restoring a better social condition of Nimi' ipuu and, more generally, at daily making proof which one can be to trust to be “redskin” (according to its own terms).

Beautiful documentary their was devoted by Laure Poinsot: Riders of the Myth, n°7: The Indians Pierced-nose Indians (produced in 2001 and available in DVD (reference ASIN: B0006BLHWI) or in VHS (ASIN: B000066RTM)), several times shown by France 5 and repeated, in last date, the December 26th 2006.

See too

Chief Joseph

Amerindian
continuation of the Pierced-nose Indians
Indian Wars
Indian Reserve

External bonds

Official site of the tribal government
History of Nimi' ipuu on the site '' Tribal Indian Records ''
Page of important bonds concerning Nimi' ipuu
Nimi' ipuu, presented by the '' Joshua Project ''
Joseph Chief and the history of his combat
Chef Allalimya Takanin
Ten words of this language in danger, still spoken by hardly 600 people
Costumes about a small-niece about Hinmatón-Yalaktit
Présentation about the '' Nez Bores Horse Program ''
“'' Nez Bores program creates has breed apart ''”, article complete on the '' Programme Nez horse Bored ''
Registre equine of Nimi' ipuu
the famous rodeoman nimi' ipuu Jackson Sundown

Random links:

Pierced-nose Indians