"The Nez Perce are fine people. They not only are friendly and hospitable but also a handsome nation.

My adopted relatives live on the mountainside. As we sat in the shade of the trees at their house and talked before ceremony, they told us stories. I must admit they are right up on the top as good storytellers. Through their hand gestures, I could almost see the giant elk in one of their stories turn toward the hunters.

Mountain lions or cougars have gotten a couple of their dogs in the last few months, they told me. "We tell our children," said Hodge, an adopted relative, "to stay indoors after dark. But sometimes, they don't listen."

They told us they've seen bear in their back yard and elk on the mountainside. So that evening, when I walked from the car to the house, I kept an eye out for anything moving and remembered how naive I was four years ago when I was here and strolled into the mountains for roots."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Journey to Nez Perce country proves exciting (The Grand Forks Herald 9/4)

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