The interpretations offered at these events attempt to present the complexity of what happened: not only the military events but the human events, the decisions made under impossible conditions, the losses that can never be fully accounted for.

The Nez Perce Tribe’s involvement in the management and interpretation of these sites is ongoing and significant.

The tribe consults with the NPS on interpretive materials, contributes traditional knowledge and community perspective to the sites’ educational programs, and maintains a living relationship with the places that are, for the tribe, not merely historical sites but ancestral landscapes.

This living relationship is the final context for understanding White Bird’s choice at Bear Paw.

He refused to surrender.