Nez Perce Mosaic: Blankets on tribal history and culture

Pendleton Woolen Mills soon will begin producing a limited edition blanket depicting Nez Perce tribal history and culture.

The stunning design featuring symbols representative of the tribe — as well as tribal leaders, landscapes and battle sites associated with the War of 1877 — was designed by Terry Ball of Cascade, Mont., in conjunction with tribal elders LeRoy Seth and Silas Whitman.

Ball, a standout collegiate basketball player for Washington State University from 1958 to 1962, spent four decades working as a salesman for Pendleton. Along the way, he developed an affinity for American Indian history and in particular, the tribes of the Columbia Basin.

He said the company has long had a robust relationship with American Indian tribes, as far as 1896, when the Nez Perce were the first tribe to order blankets from Pendleton.

“We have a deep history with Native Americans,” he said.

The blanket features silhouettes of two peaks of the Wallowa Mountains as well as the Bear Paw Mountains in Montana where Chief Joseph and others eventually surrendered to the U.S. Cavalry after a series of battles that started at White Bird and extended across parts of Idaho and Montana. Chief Joseph is featured in the center of the blanket and flanked on his left by Chief Looking Glass and on the right by Chief White Bird.

Over Joseph’s head, bolts of lightning cascade from storm clouds above the Wallowas. Ball said they symbolize Joseph’s tribal name, roughly translated as “Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain.” All of the chiefs sit astride Appaloosa horses that were bred by the tribe. Joseph’s horse has a handprint on his rump, and the other two horses have distinctive Appaloosa spots.

Beneath the chiefs are the skeleton tepees that stand at the Big Hole Battlefield as a monument and signify tribal members who were slaughtered there during an attack by the Cavalry. Under the tepees is a silhouette of the Bear Paw Mountains, with a bear paw prominently featured on one of the mountains.

The blanket is bordered on its top and bottom with geometric designs that represent the camas flower, an important staple of the tribe. The design features the color pink, representing the meat of salmon, purple for the camas plant and blue representing water and sky.

Seth’s great-grandfather, the warrior Peopeo Tholekt, fought in the war and was among the Nez Perce who escaped to Canada after Joseph agreed to stop fighting. He said he is delighted with the way the design turned out and believes the blanket will be a big seller.

“There are all kinds of people saying they are ready to buy. Some are tribal members, some are members of other tribes,” he said. “I”m sure the (Clearwater River) Casino will want to have one in their main display area, and the tribal council should have one on their wall.”

Ball said Pendleton is in the process of setting up looms to make the blankets, and they likely will be available in four to six months. He is fronting the money for the production of 250 blankets and will be responsible for selling them. He said he is likely to sell blankets to Nez Perce tribal members and museums for about $190 and to others for $300. Ball said he isn’t doing it to make money but he hopes to at least break even on the venture. More importantly, he said, he hopes the blankets will help tell an important part of the Nez Perce history.

“I just want to do it to enhance the whole story,” he said.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.