Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee (NPTEC) Returns to Traditional Nez Perce Homelands

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Nez Perce style long tent set up where NPTEC held their meeting

In an unprecedented and emotional return to the ancestral homelands, the Nez Perce Tribe made history this week.

Tuesday, June 24th, at 9 am, history was made as the powerful old songs echoed through the valleys of Wallowa County, Oregon. For the first time in living memory, the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, known as NPTEC, held an official Tribal Council meeting at ha’ámsax̣pa, the place many know today as Joseph, Oregon.

This isn’t just a meeting. It’s a return.

ha’ámsax̣pa, meaning “the place of boulders” in nimipuutimt, was once home to the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce. It’s where Chief Joseph lived with his people before they were forcibly removed in the late 1800s by the U.S. Government. On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Nez Perce leadership sat in circle again. This time not in protest, but in power.

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