The Nez Perce people, self named Niimíipuu (The People), are a Native American peoples who reside on the Nez Perce Reservation, headquartered in Lupwai, Idaho.

They were the largest, most powerful, and best-known of the Sahaptin-speaking peoples and were called by various names by other groups. The French name, Nez Percé (“Pierced Nose”), referred to the wearing of nose pendants, though the fashion does not seem to have been widespread among them. Historically, they were nomadic, traveling with the seasons from buffalo hunting in the Great Plains to salmon fishing.

Weyíiletpuu is the dialect of the Nez Perce language. The distinctive dialect has not been used since the 1940’s and is designated as extinct. However, the Nez Perce do speak Nez Perce.

The Nez Perce, Umatilla ( Columbia River Sahaptin), and Walla Walla (Northeast Sahaptin) were confederated under the Treaty of 1855, yet each one maintains a distinct heritage and unique identity.