Idaho
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The river region of the Nimi'ipuu, Nez Perce, people allowed them to live a much more secure life than the arid desert allowed to the Bannock & Shoshoni. Because the Nimi'ipuu founded their villages along the banks of the Clearwater, Salmon and Snake River drainage the resources available to them were somewhat easier to gather and hunt. This mountainous region of Idaho has outstanding changes in elevation which causes a diversity of animals and plants to thrive. The Nez Perce, like the Shoshoni & Bannock had to migrate seasonally to gather and hunt food, but the relative plenitude of the resources encouraged these people to live and associate with settled villages during much of the year. Local villages usually had populations from 30 to 200 individuals, which permitted the Nimi'ipuu to develop into the largest population in Idaho before settlement by land hungry pioneers.

This living area, based on a riverine system, allowed the Nimi'ipuu a diversity of resources not easily had by the Shoshoni & Bannock to the south. The men hunted large game animals which lived in the mountains bordering the rivers and small game such as rabbit, squirrel and marmot which lived in the neighboring valleys. Game birds were also common in this area of river drainage. Ducks, geese and grouse would have been available as food.

The water in itself was a bountiful resource. Game birds would not only seek it out on their yearly migrations, but the people used the water systems for transportation, drinking, and as a source for fish. Many varieties of fish were included in the diet of the Nimi'ipuu. Salmon, dolly varden, trout, suckers, sturgeon, lampreys and squawfish would be either speared of trapped in weirs.

The women gathered and prepared many roots, such as camas, wild carrot and onion, kouse and bitterroot. Berries were also available in the form of gooseberries, serviceberries, hawthorneberries, currants and chokeberries. Pine nuts and sunflower seeds were also gathered and processed by grinding with mortar and pestle.
The grassy valleys which provided roots, seeds and forage for large game also provided grazing for horses. Horses had not been native in Idaho for 10,000 years, having become extinct in North America after the climatic change at the close of the Pleistocene Epoch. The Spanish conquest of America's southwest, however, ensured that horses would gradually spread throughout the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau. The Nimi'ipuu acquired horses from peoples who had contact with the Spanish in California. The impact of the horse upon the people resulted in changes. With the aid of the horse as transportation and a hunting partner the Nimi'ipuu were able to travel into Montana in pursuit of bison which increased the wealth and food reserves of the tribe considerably.

Horses were bred for strength and for endurance, but not necessarily for colors. Boys were most often the herdersof these large herds which eventually numbered in excess of five to seven horses per each person. Horses could be sold, traded or acquired also through raids on other tribes which had horses.

The use of horses as wealth encouraged elaborate horse trapping and great herds to be kept by families. Since horses were an indication of an individual's wealth, exchanges of horses would be made as gifts for marriages.

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