These are not places where something happened once; they are places that remain part of nimíipuu identity and that continue to be visited, commemorated, and interpreted by nimíipuu community members.

The Nez Perce National Historical Park, which manages a network of sites across Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana associated with nimíipuu history, works with the tribe on interpretation and cultural preservation.

The relationship is not without tensions — the question of how to interpret sites where U.S. soldiers killed nimíipuu women and children, for example, involves perspectives that do not always align neatly with standard NPS interpretive frameworks — but it is a relationship that acknowledges the tribe’s primary connection to the places and the events.

One More Time, Bear Paw On October 5