The Wetxuuwíitin' Collection Returns to its Ancestral Home

A Reversal of Fortune for the Nez Perce Tribe

BY SABINA DANA PLASSE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZACH MAZUR

The Nez Perce Tribe in north-central Idaho consists of more than 3,500 citizens in Lapwai, Idaho, on the Nez Perce Reservation, which covers 770,000 acres. The aboriginal land of the Nimiipuu people, who are the Nez Perce Tribe, once comprised portions of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana in a vast area that was more than seven and half million acres.

In 1836, Presbyterian Reverend Henry Harmon Spalding and his wife joined a mission to the Nez Perce land, now known as Idaho. Spalding arrived in the area as a minister and became a trader, but also tried to inform Nez Perce Tribe members of the prospects of being a Presbyterian. Nonetheless, he managed to obtain Nez Perce Tribe items and historical relics. Between 1841 and 1846, Spalding acquired Nez Perce [Nimiipuu] clothing, artifacts, and horse gear, which he shipped to his friend and supporter of his Presbyterian mission, Dr. Dudley Allen, in Ohio. Dr. Allen, in exchange, sent back commodities that Spalding needed to continue his mission work.

{cáwtiwaanin’ wispóolsam’x, Woman’s Dress, Nez Perce} A Nez Perce woman’s cured deerskin dress with attached yoke extensions and hem inserts decorated with glass beads, elk teeth, dentalium shell, thimbles, and fringe. The dress was made circa the 1820s to 1840 and is part of the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection.

What became known as the Spalding-Allen Collection, a collection of Nez Perce Tribe member items representing artisans in their prime, offers an accessible history and an understanding of the Nez Perce people. In 1893, after Allen died, his son, Dudley, donated the Spalding-Allen Collection to Oberlin College.

In time, Oberlin College loaned most, but not all, of the collection to the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) for safekeeping, but unfortunately, it languished at OHS for decades. Finally, in 1976, curators at Nez Perce National Historic Park (NEPE) rediscovered the collection. Through negotiations, OHS loaned most Spalding-Allen artifacts to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1980 on renewable one-year loans. However, in 1993 OHS abruptly demanded the return of the collection. In negotiations, NPS learned that OHS would sell the collection, but only at its full appraised value of $608,100 with a six-month deadline to provide the money. Diligently, the Nez Perce Tribe raised the money within six months with help from thousands of donors and purchased the collection in 1996. In a turn of events in November 2021, the OHS, now The Ohio History Connection, returned the $608,100 to the Nez Perce Tribe.

In June 2021, the Nez Perce Tribe renamed the Spalding-Allen Collection the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection, which means “returned after a period of being away.” Cultural Resources Program Director of the Nez Perce Tribe and historian Nakia Williamson-Cloud says, “The renaming of the collection is a significant step to reclaiming ownership of one of the most important ethnographic collections in existence.”

{walíim’lapqat, Moccasins, Nez Perce} Made by the Nez Perce circa 1836.

From this recovery, the Nez Perce Tribe celebrates its history, value, and existence along with providing an understanding of what it is to lose, reclaim, and be honored. Associate Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections at Washington State University Trevor James Bond, Ph.D., who works closely with Williamson-Cloud, says, “There has been a trend of many native nations to negotiate in different ways to claim sacred items that can never leave a community,” says Bond. “However, in this particular situation, it is fairly unprecedented to have items and money returned.”

There are 21 items that have been returned and there are still missing items, which Williamson-Cloud and Bond are tracking down. The handwork, adornments, and craft of each item in the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection tell a story about the Nez Perz Tribe’s life on land in the waters of the Pacific Northwest that is key and important.

{sac’ásniin sám’x, Man’s Shirt, Nez Perce} A Nez Perce man’s cured hide shirt decorated with quill work, Venetian glass beads, wool cloth, and fringe. The shirt was made circa 1820.

“It is not uncommon to have items returned to the tribe,” says Williamson-Cloud. “Sometimes things are not authentic, but returns do happen on smaller scales. The importance and provenance of the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection is that there’s nothing else like it from the Nez Perce or Columbia River Plateau. It’s on par with early collections that ended up in Europe regarding age, vintage, and quality of the items. With something like the scale of the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection, many questions arise about the ownership and rightful place of purpose with historic collections.”

For the renaming ceremony of the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection in June 2021, an invitation was sent to Ohio to all those involved to be part of the event. This was an important action toward reclaiming ownership, as the collection is considered one of the most “ethnographic collections in existence.”

The Elk Antler Quirt (whip) was made by a male member of the Nez Perce Tribe 1840-1845.

“Nobody had heard about the sale,” says Bond. “They were shocked and horrified about it. In 1995 the public thought it was wrong to sell the collection back to the Nez Perce Tribe, so many people helped to raise the money to buy it back. Today, the Ohio History Connection is very different. They have a Native American board member and a Native American director of Native American Indian relations. There’s a new level of awareness and spirit of change.”

However, Bond points out that there’s still a private worldwide marketplace for collectors who can buy anything they want, and Native American communities don’t have the assets to bid against billionaires. “Recognizing each other’s basic humanity and asking why it is ok to dig up the Nez Perce people but not your own family members are points to understand,” says Bond. “The more people who recognize events and the injustices that surround them, the more we can do to change them.” In an ongoing conversation, Williamson-Cloud recognizes the remnants of a colonial past, but also works hard to establish good relations with institutions for the

Nez Perce. “Education is constantly evolving, and it is about basic human rights,” he says. “How we relate to the land and broader society is very different where everything has a price tag, which means everything is for sale.”

{tiké s, Cradleboard, Nez Perce} A teardrop-shaped cradleboard with buckskin and decorated with glass beads, dentalium shells with elk teeth attached to the top fringe. Made circa 1846.

The Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection can serve many. In the context of those items included and what they mean, Washington State University is very excited to support the transformation of museums and establishing relationships. “I speak with Trevor almost every week, and we do a great deal of work together,” says Williamson-Cloud. “Tribal communities can add to the contextualization of these items and their true meaning outside of their aesthetic value. It allows for a bridge to access materials and be more accessible to the communities from where they come, and it works both ways.”

The Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection is accessible via the Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal, a digital platform online. This is an example of working relationships with tribal communities, organizations, universities, and access for all. “There’s tremendous knowledge that’s within the community around these materials,” says Bond. “I love these community records that Nakia shared because it shows with an item like a saddle or shirt that there are so many levels of interpretation and understanding.”

{imá spalx, Cornhusk flat storage bag, Nez Perce} The cornhusk flat storage bag was made by a female member of the Nez Perce Tribe circa 1835.

Along with the website, there’s also a book on the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection, which Williamson-Cloud and Bond collaborated on while creating the digital platform with videos and more interpretative information. “There’s more to come that we are working on all the time,” says Williamson-Cloud. “We are going to Ohio to search for the missing items and researching the mounds with other tribes in the area too. The Ohio Historical Connection is living up to their name, and we hope it persists and continues.”

Bond adds, “These are living pieces. We don’t know what the next story is going to be, and I am excited about the next chapters. This all needs to be back and part of the community as it recognizes the deep connections that go back thousands of years, which is very special. There’s a lot of joy in working and collaborating. It’s also very powerful.”

{k’úusey’ne sapo saapó s, Nez Perce Woman’s Saddle} The earliest documented Nez Perce saddle from the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection.

When you view items in the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection you immediately connect to the materials and craftsmanship of the Nez Perce Tribe and how each detail is linked to daily lives and existence, from elk teeth and antlers to the color of the dyes, from animal organs and bison hide for stringing together objects and clothing. It’s a fascinating education of living from the land and understanding one’s existence.

Preservation and cultural connection are items that extend beyond the Nez Perce Tribe—they are a connection to the world. “It’s about human rights and respect. We all rely on the same elements of life,” says Williamson-Cloud. “What we are trying to preserve is what everyone needs to continue as people. It’s a fundamental idea for all.”

To access the Wetxuuwíitin’ Collection, visit plateauportal. libraries.wsu.edu/collection/wetxuuwiitin-formerly-spalding-allencollection-nez-perce.