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Nez Perce elder speaking at Blaine County Museum

Nez Perce Elder Silas Whitman will be speaking at the Blaine County Museum Saturday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., covering topics on the traditional uses of plants and the cultural practices of the Nez Perce people.

Whitman will be going over the experience he has gathered in his lifetime, and all the knowledge that was passed down from his ancestors about the traditional uses of plants for food, medicinal purposes and spiritual purposes. He is also a descendant of a survivor, his great-grandmother, of the Battle of the Bear Paws, and will talk about what she and her family went through after they left the battlefield.

The Battle of the Bear Paws was the end of the flight of the Nez Perce in 1877 from Oregon, in an attempt to get to Canada, where after a five-day fight with the U.S. Cavalry, Chief Jospeh the Younger of the Nez Perce surrendered to Gen. Oliver Otis Howard and Col. Nelson Miles.

Bear Paw Battlefield Lead Ranger Casey Overturf said the presentation will have much information.

“Most of us can find value in what people older and wiser than us (say) and what they have to share,” Overturf said.

He added that the two main things Whitman has been trying to tell people is about the traditional plant use and the personal stories he considers personal truths from being a descendant of a member of the tribe and witness to the battle.

This is the second year Bear Paw Battlefield has taken part in a Summer Speaker Series sponsored by Glacier National Park Conservancy. The series began in Big Hole National Battlefield in Wisdom, and has extended to Bear Paw.

Nez Perce National Historical Park was established on May 15, 1965. Montana shares the history of the Nez Perce with Oregon, Idaho and Washington which showcase a total of 38 sites of history of the Nez Perce and their relations with others that feature Lewis and Clark, the fur trade, gold mining and more. The Nez Perce National Historical Park’s purpose is stated as “to preserve and protect tangible resources that document the history of the Nez Perce peoples and the significant role of the Nez Perce in history; and to interpret the culture and history of the Nez Perce peoples and promote documentation to enhance that interpretation.”

“We have always been here,” said the Nimiipuu, as the Nez Perce call themselves.

The presentations and entry to the museum, at 501 Indiana Street in Chinook, have no charge.

“Personally, I think it is just nice to get a Nez Perce voice out here,” Overturf said.

For more information, people can contact Bear Paw Battlefield at 357-3130.

 

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