Slickpoo makes historic success in the history of the Nez Perce tribe

This spring, Harry Slickpoo, Jr., is finishing his first year at LHS, teaching the Nez Perce Language course and advising the Nez Perce Language club.
On Feb. 21, 2024, Slickpoo became one of the first Nez Perce educators and advocates for Nez Perce language and culture to receive the Idaho Educator Certification.
“It has always been my goal to share what I know about the Nez Perce people: history, culture and the language,” Slickpoo said. It has been an extreme honor and privilege to become one of the first teachers of the Nez Perce Language in my generation. There have been many before me, and it is their knowledge that I wish to share with the next generation.”
“I am grateful to be a part of the Lewiston Bengal family [and] I am extremely proud of my Nez Perce Language students, those in the classroom, and those that have participated in the Nez Perce Language Club,” said Slickpoo.
Slickpoo’s passion for sharing and preserving the Nez Perce language and culture of the Nez Perce people has driven his efforts for a number of years. His work is primarily centered on nimiipuutímt, a word meaning “The Nez Perce Language,” derived from its two distinct parts: nimíipuu (Nez Perce People) and timt (Language).
He graduated from Northwest Indian College, Nez Perce Site, where he learned the foundations of the Nez Perce language and how they may be applied to speech and conversation.
In 2012, he began his work as a Language Intern with the Nez Perce Language Program, later becoming a language technician, developing ACORNS language learning lessons for the Nez Perce Place Names Project and assisting in creating Nintendo DSi language learning materials.
He returned to the Northwest Indian College in 2019 as the “elder” instructor. There he helped students and community members develop language and speaking skills through revitalization and reclamation efforts. He utilized traditional storytelling methods to bring life to the rich culture and traditions of the Nez Perce people.
His connection to indigenous people’s sovereignty and preservation of Nez Perce cultural heritage extends far beyond the classroom. He has served as the president of Nimiipuu Ecosystems Restoration, a nonprofit organization that aims to teach youth about the cultural significance of water. He has also been a linguist and cultural consultant to Nez Perce Tourism, providing guidance in the Nez Perce National Historic Trail and Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest place name projects and training tour guides who aim to share the Nez Perce language with visitors and guests that come to tour Nez Perce territory. He has also been involved in Mata’Lyma Culture Club, Indian Club (JOM), Nez Perce Youth Advisory Board, Nez Perce Youth Leadership, Students for Success and Nez Perce Culture Camp over his years of service.
However, efforts to protect nimiipuutímt haven’t always been at the forefront throughout history. According to the National Parks Service, the arrival of Protestant and Christian missionaries in the 1830s brought about widespread appropriation of the language. This was a method of impressing Western religion on tribal members by translating hymnals and books of the bible into Nez Perce.
To further advance the assimilation of Native Americans, according to Slickpoo, it became forbidden for them to speak their native language, causing much of the culture to be practiced in secrecy to keep their traditions alive.
Even today, the Nez Perce language is classified as critically endangered, with only a handful of fluent speakers.
Slickpoo has played a vital role in rallying tribal members and Indigenous peoples from the three Nez Perce Language communities: the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians in Oregon, and the Confederate Colville Tribes in Washington. This is to “preserve a way of life that is very sacred and special,” he said.
His passion is driven by his immense pride in his tribe’s heritage. His efforts to preserve the Nez Perce language are rooted in his commitment to sustaining the native culture by ensuring students access to resources and opportunities to discover the Nez Perce way of life, in addition to who they are and where they come from.
“It is very rewarding to be able to reach our Nez Perce students who are not afforded the opportunity to be exposed to Nez Perce culture in ways that they might be if they were students on the Nez Perce Reservation,” said Slickpoo. “Our language is what defines us; it is who we are and makes us unique. Given this opportunity, it is my hope that this year’s Nez Perce Language Class will inspire my students to continue to learn more about who they are every day.”