North American Indian people living mainly in Idaho, U.S. Their language belongs to the Penutian language group, and their traditional homeland is an area centring on the Snake River in central Idaho, western Oregon, and western Washington.
The name Nez Percé, applied by French Canadian trappers, means "Pierced Noses"; they call themselves Nimíipuu (Nee-me-poo), meaning "The Real People." Their culture was primarily that of the Plateau Indian s, with some Plains Indian influence. Their domestic life centred on small villages near streams with abundant salmon; they also hunted small game and collected wild plant foods. After acquiring horses, they began to hunt bison and became more warlike, eventually becoming one of the dominant tribes in the region. Through a series of treaties in the mid-1800s, their traditional territory was severely reduced; the tragic Nez Percé War (1877), led by Chief Joseph , was the result. At the turn of the 21st century, they numbered some 3,300.