NIMÍIPUU VOICES

JOIN US SEPT 11th - 12th for the 2026 FREE THE SNAKE GATHERING at Hell's Gate State Park (Group Shelter #6) in Lewiston, ID. Time: Friday 5:30 - 8:30 PM and Flotilla begins 9 AM Saturday. Mark your calendars to join us - Free the Snake & restore a healthy river system, salmon runs and the future we all share. See you on the river.

EVERY VOICE IS A CRACK IN THE DAMS!

Our work strengthens and protects relationships with our lands, our rivers, our foods, our treaties and each other - defending salmon, protecting wildlife, reclaiming buffalo, restoring rivers, maintaining gathering grounds for roots, berries and game and revitalizing lifeways. It is about living, moving and caring as Nimíipuu in our lands today. Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment is a voice for our lands, our waters and our futures.

Seeing land, water, animals and plants as spiritual relatives changes everything. Commodities get exploited; relatives get protected. From mining scars and clearcuts to large dams, wiping out buffalo or overfishing - remove one thread, and the whole web unravels.

The 1855 and 1863 Nez Perce treaties - upheld by the U.S. Constitution - are sacred agreements that guarantee our rights to hunt, fish and gather First Foods throughout our traditional territories. They affirm our duty as Nimíipuu to care for the land, waters and all relations, ensuring our lifeways endure for future generations.

Nimíipuu First Foods define us as The People - a living bond with all creation. Each food is a relative demanding our sacred, reciprocal care in its place. Protecting hunting lands, fish runs and foraging grounds upholds Nez Perce sovereignty. This strengthens and helps restore our traditional foodways, cultural strength, language and ceremonies.

Bringing buffalo to Nimíipuu homelands is a commitment to feeding our people with strength & dignity, food security & sovereignty. Invest in the health of our people, vitality of our lands & continuation of First Foods traditions.

The Lower Snake River dams block cold, living waters, drive salmon toward extinction and violate our treaties. Breaching these dams would restore a free-flowing Snake River, revive fish populations & uphold the enduring relationship between The People, the land and future generations.

We are river people - salmon people. Canoes were central to how our People traveled, harvested First Foods, traded and maintained relationships with other tribes. Colonization, displacement, dams and suppressed traditions disrupted these connections. The revival of Nimiipuu canoe culture is important because it strengthens a living relationship that sits at the heart of Nimíipuu identity, responsibility and survival.

Grizzlies & wolves help keep the land in balance, just as clean water & healthy forests sustain all living beings. Protecting them protects us. Animals, plants, waters, lands, people – we each have a role. Our survival depends on respecting these relationships and taking responsibility for the world that sustains us.

Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment youth project builds future stewards & leaders grounded in Nimiipuu values through intergenerational hands-on learning - carving canoes and paddles for our rivers, tending gardens and orchards, practicing arts & crafts and learning stories, language, treaty rights & stewardship from elders and leaders.

Through gardens, orchards and First Foods harvesting, youth help secure food sovereignty and health rooted in our treaties. Growing and harvesting food strengthens their ties to the land & knowledge of gardens, fruit trees and native plants and helps equip our young leaders to sustain the circle of life for generations.

The Nimíipuu story is not only about the past. It’s about the future we are working to protect. Learn more about issues that matter most to Nimiipuu People, our efforts, why these efforts matter and how informed support helps carry these responsibilities forward.

Explore upcoming gatherings, events and opportunities to make a difference.

Protecting future generations means investing time and resources now. Your contributions , donations & volunteer support help protect treaty rights; restore rivers, salmon and first foods; care for all relations across our homelands; and sustain programs grounded in responsibility to land, water and future generations.

Stay informed on issues affecting Nimíipuu lands and waters. Explore news, updates & background materials on issues shaping our present and future.

Explore Nimíipuu perspectives on treaty rights, land, water, community priorities, ongoing work and responsibilities carried forward today. See what’s happening now and why it matters. Learn how Nimíipuu people are protecting the future. Share stories from our community.

PARTNER FOR IMPACT. We work alongside allied NGOs, Tribes and dedicated funders to host high-visibility gatherings, educational workshops, on-the-ground campaigns and initiatives. Have an idea? Tell us here.

We work alongside allied NGOs, Tribes and dedicated funders to host high-visibility gatherings, educational workshops, on-the-ground campaigns and initiatives. Get Involved. Join our camp to protect Mother Earth, sacred relatives and the future we are working to protect. Have an idea? Tell us here.