TREATIES FORWARD
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SAFEGUARDING LANDS, WATERS & LIFEWAYS
Nez Perce treaties are integral to our survival, protecting our ability to live on and with our lands, waters and sacred foods as Nimíipuu (The People). They safeguard our homelands and ancestral territories, preserve our first foods and traditional lifeways, and ensure our future survival and cultural continuity. These treaties are a written testament to the Nimíipuu People’s way of life - hunting, fishing and gathering - and to our deep, reciprocal relationship with our lands, waters and sacred foods.
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KINSHIP - PROTECTING WHAT'S SACRED
Our spirituality is directly connected to our environment - our Earth - our Mother, and that spiritual bond guides how we care for the natural world. We defend our treaty rights so we can protect our lands, waters and first foods because everything is connected to the fish that help keep the wheel of life turning for Our People.
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TREATIES PROTECT OUR FUTURE
Protecting future generations means investing time and resources now; trusting youth with knowledge and responsibility; and making sure they’re not just beneficiaries, but caretakers. If young Nimíipuu people don’t learn what the treaties say, why they exist and how they’re challenged today, then those rights weaken over time. Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment builds treaty literacy in our community early - turning our values into action, so our future leaders are ready to protect what our ancestors fought to secure.
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NIMÍIPUU PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT is a voice for our lands, our waters and our futures. We are committed to protect our Treaty Rights, Homelands, first foods and sacred relatives for future generations.
TREATY RIGHTS - SAFEGUARDING LANDS, WATERS & LIFEWAYS
TREAT THE EARTH WITH RESPECT
We defend our treaty rights so we can protect our lands and waters and preserve plants, roots, wolves, grizzly bears, and all other beings, because everything is connected to the fish that help keep the wheel of life turning for Our People. Upholding our treaty rights is a gift for Native and non-Native people alike, and it will require sustained cooperation and commitment to ensure those rights are respected and to secure clean air and clean water. The stakes have never been higher. Together, we can become strong allies, help level the playing field for all people, and protect the well-being of generations to come.
Nez Perce treaties are integral to our survival, protecting our ability to live on and with our lands, waters and sacred foods as Nimíipuu (The People). They safeguard our homelands and ancestral territories, preserve our first foods and traditional lifeways, and ensure our future survival and cultural continuity. These treaties are a written testament to the Nimíipuu People’s way of life - hunting, fishing, and gathering - and to our deep, reciprocal relationship with our lands, waters, and sacred foods. Our spirituality is directly connected to our environment - our Earth - our Mother, and that spiritual bond guides how we care for the natural world.
HONOR THE TREATIES
LANDS, WATERS & FIRST FOODS
FREE THE SNAKE
FLOTILLA
EVERY VOICE IS A CRACK IN THE DAMS!
This past September 12th, hundreds of people gathered on the Snake River to demand immediate action on the removal of the lower Snake River dams. The cultural survival of the Nimíipuu is bound to the health of this river. The 4 Lower Snake River dams violate the 1855 Treaty - federal promises made to the Nez Perce (Nimíipuu) people by driving salmon to extinction.
No salmon, no orcas. It’s that simple. The critically endangered Southern Resident orcas rely on Chinook salmon for up to 80% of their diet. By driving Snake River Chinook to extinction, the four federal dams on the Lower Snake River are actively starving these sacred relatives.
The historic successes of the Elwha and Klamath rivers remind us that river restoration works & when dams come down, salmon recolonize. The Pacific Northwest is ready for a fully restored, free-flowing Snake River. Breaching the lower Snake River dams is the single most effective action to honor Tribal rights, restore river health and bring the salmon home. It’s time to breach the dams. Free the Snake!