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Carla High Eagle tells of what it means for her to be Nimíipuu Item Info

We are Nimíipuu. We are Iceyéeyenim mamáy’ac - “Children of the Coyote.” We are the people of this land. We have a very proud and strong heritage. Our land covered clear down into the Columbia, clear over into Montana, and some say even down into California. And that is who we were and that is who we are. We were recognized for our intelligence and for our generosity and for our kind heartedness, but also for our bravery, and for our strength and family. So that is who we are and that is who are children are being taught to be, to be proud of who they are and where they come from. In the history of the making of this country there were no right or wrong we were all a part of it and we all need to be proud of who we are and where we come from. . . . I’ve brought my children here (Big Hole Battle Site) for at least the last 10 years and the reason I do that is because I want them to have a strong sense of who they are and have a lot of value about being Nez Perce because a lot of times Indians are portrayed in a very negative light, in a negative way. So by bringing them here they can see that there was a sacrifice made for their life and they do have a responsibility to their friends, to their relatives, and to their family. They are influenced by a lot of things, by T.V., by drugs, by alcohol, by a lot of things that aren’t a part of our culture and they need to live in both worlds. Bur they need to be responsible for their decisions and responsible for making good decisions because it reflects on all of us. We give our children Nez Perce names, all my children have their names now so that when they go to the Creator they will recognize them by their Indian name. And it is just a part of learning and growing so that when they have children of their own they can carry that forward. They will have something to teach their children in the next generation.

Title:
Carla High Eagle tells of what it means for her to be Nimíipuu
Date Created:
2001
Description:
Carla High Eagle, former Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee (NPTEC) member, tells of what it means for her to be Nimíipuu, while on her 2001 annual visit to the Big Hole Battle site (part of the Nez Perce Conflict of 1877). (Interviewed by Dan Kane, August 2001; edited by Rodney Frey, October 2001)
Source
Preferred Citation:
"Carla High Eagle tells of what it means for her to be Nimíipuu", Nimíipuu L3, Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning (CDIL)
Reference Link:
https://cdil.lib.uidaho.edu/nimiipuu-l3/items/nimiipuu-l3-041.html
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