Ceremony marks site of Nez Perce battle

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002

Members of the Nez Perce Tribe participated in a ceremony to commemorate the location of a battle between tribal ancestors and the U.S. Army.

The ceremony served as the ground-breaking for an interpretive center at the Laurel Battle site. Charlie Axtell, a Nez Perce pipe carrier, offered a blessing and tribal members hosted a pipe ceremony.

The battle was one of several fought between five Nez Perce bands and Army forces. The bands refused to be confined to a reservation in Idaho and fled to Canada.

The Billings Gazette has been retracting the journey the bands made in Montana on their way to the border. Today's installation of the series recounts a skirmish involving Crow Tribe scouts, who had been hired to help fight the Nez Perce.

Get the Story:
Nez Perce War of 1877: Turning north (The Billings Gazette 9/16)
Counting on the Crow (The Billings Gazette 9/16)
Nez Perce site dedicated (The Billings Gazette 9/15)

Relevant Links:
Nez Perce Tribe - http://www.nezperce.org