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The Nez Perce Indians's economy was based on fishing, gathering, hunting, and, later, raising large herds of horses.

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The Nez Perces felt a deep spiritual connection with the Earth and sought to live in harmony with nature. They believed that every member had a personal link with nature in a form of a guardian spirit, or Wyakin, that would protect him/her from harm and provide assistance during the after life. During puberty, a young Nez Perce would go to the mountains without food or weapons and would sit on rocks until the Wyakin would reveal itself. It would appear as something like, lightning in the shape of an elk indicating something. Then they would come back to the village and share the greatness of the Wyakin privately with few. Then he/ she would follow certain orders to avoid bad fortunes based on his/ her's personal experience.

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Women headed the family unit. They had an extension of kinship ties through extensive intermarriage throughout the area. The headman could become the headman of two villages through marriage ties. The Nez Perce had traditional marriages between a man and a woman. The girls were given to young men by the parents, rather than by the man's choice. With very loose bonds, the wives were put away at leisure and another one chosen if they desired. The women could also leave their husband over very small things, creating an equality of the two that no other tribes practiced.

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The Plateau Nez Perce Indians were called "Nez Perce" for their pierced noses by the French Canadians. But actually the pierced noses were uncommon/ not a custom. The Nez Perce Indians were migratory and would move from place to place by the seasons but unlike other Indians they would have a permanent home in which they would return to.

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The Nez Perce people chose a council that named and advised a headman. Often the headman's position was hereditary, but the council could remove the headman. The council's authority, like the headman , was strictly limited. Neither could enforce compliance with their decisions, but most people respected them so they followed their decisions.

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The Nez Perce were locate in northwestern Oregon, southwestern Washington, and central Idaho. They inhabited the high plateau region between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal mountain system. They were migratory and would travel with the seasons, accprding to where the most abundant food was to be found. Although migratory, the Nez Percehad houses they returned to.