<P> In his journals, William Clark referred to the people as the Chopunnish / ˈtʃoʊpənɪʃ /, a transliteration of a Sahaptin term . According to D.E. Walker in 1998, writing for the Smithsonian, this term is an adaptation of the term cú pʼnitpeľu (the Nez Perce people). The term is formed from cú pʼnit (piercing with a pointed object) and peľu (people). By contrast, the Nez Perce Language Dictionary has a different analysis than did Walker for the term cúpnitpelu . The prefix cú - means "in single file ." This prefix, combined with the verb - piní, "to come out (e.g. of forest, bushes, ice)". Finally, with the suffix of - pelú, meaning "people or inhabitants of ." Together, these three elements: cú - + - piní + pelú = cúpnitpelu, or "the People Walking Single File Out of the Forest ." Nez Perce oral tradition indicates the name "Cuupn'itpel'uu" meant "we walked out of the woods or walked out of the mountains" and referred to the time before the Nez Perce had horses . </P> <P> The Nez Perce language, or Niimiipuutímt, is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin . The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family, which in turn may be related to a larger Penutian grouping . </P> <P> The Nez Perce territory at the time of Lewis and Clark (1804--1806) was approximately 17,000,000 acres (69,000 km) and covered parts of present - day Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, in an area surrounding the Snake (Weyikespe), Grande Ronde River, Salmon (Naco'x kuus) ("Chinook salmon Water") and the Clearwater (Koos - Kai - Kai) ("Clear Water") rivers . The tribal area extended from the Bitterroots in the east (the door to the Northwestern Plains of Montana) to the Blue Mountains in the west between latitudes 45 ° N and 47 ° N . </P> <P> In 1800, the Nez Perce had more than 100 permanent villages, ranging from 50 to 600 individuals, depending on the season and social grouping . Archeologists have identified a total of about 300 related sites including camps and villages, mostly in the Salmon River Canyon . In 1805, the Nez Perce were the largest tribe on the Columbia River Plateau, with a population of about 12,000 . By the beginning of the 20th century, the Nez Perce had declined to about 8,500 due to epidemics, conflicts with non-Indians, and other factors . A total of 3,499 Nez Perce were counted in the 2010 Census . </P>

Where did the nez perce tribe come from
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