Nez Perce Tourism
The vision of Nez Perce Tourism revealed itself to me in 2017 while my family visited one of our power places. As my daughter q’emesn’im l’aatis (camas lily or Kalila) and I hiked to the top of this mountain and began to sing one of our old Nimiipuu songs, it wasn’t until the second verse one of our elders appeared to us, offering very direct set instructions. That message was to start a cultural tourism company to ensure traditional knowledge and places continue to be shared amongst our people, as well as to create a platform for our people to share our own narrative of the past, present, and future. I was told to visit all the places our old people once walked, to remind my people, our neighbors, and the world of these places, our landmarks, OUR HOME. I was warned about those who would come against this vision and I was given the directive to thank them as they are only concerned about protection of our old ways.
The vision I experienced with our elder was a directive that had to be followed. I began listening to the needs of our community and conducted an internal needs analysis as well as intense market research in the travel and tourism industry. Nez Perce Tourism opened its doors with a grand opening ceremony at Hells Gate State Park on March 29, 2019.
Radiating with cultural wisdom, Nez Perce Tourism is the only place in the world where you will hear the Nimiipuu side of history, witness the stories of our ancestors, and receive the legendary hospitality founded in our cultural understanding of honor and respect. I see Nez Perce Tourism as an economic driver in Nimiipuu Country and a cultural and educational connection to ensure a bright future for generations. It is essential that our children are included in all aspects of the business, from planning to implementation, to experiencing a deeper connection to our culture, land, and water.
Nez Perce Tourism provides one-on-one, elder-to-youth mentorship opportunities through a series of interactive workshops. Those learning opportunities preserve our history through interactive storytelling and the promotion of the protection of our homelands by navigating through traditional values via field trips.
Most recently, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, Nez Perce Tourism was able to expand doing business as Nez Perce Traditions also known as Traditions Gift Shop. While other tourism-related businesses are closing their doors (for good), we decided to operate at a limited capacity in the form of a gift shop with increased emphasis on shop native, shop local, and shop online. During this critical hour in history, Traditions Gift Shop has brought back the trade hub legacy of our people and created a streamline of income to generate monies for local families during this difficult time. We opened our doors on August 8, 2020, and have continued to work with many skilled artists offering their authentic trade goods to peoples from all over the world.
