The Nez Perce Reservation covers approximately 750,000 acres in north-central Idaho and encompasses five counties. Currently the enrollment for the Nez Perce Tribe is 3,363. The Nez Perce are a Sehaptian speaking tribe linked culturally and linguistically to other Northwestern tribes.  The name “Nez Perce” (French for “pierced nose”) was given to the tribe by th Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805; that the expedition applied this term to the tribe is curious as they did not traditionally practice nose piercing.  The Nez Perce call themselves “Ni Mii Pu” meaning literally “The People”.