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The editors of this book are Dennis Baird, Head of Reference at the University of Idaho Library; Diane Mallickan, an interpreter at the Nez Perce National Historical Park; and William Swagerty, a history professor at the University of the Pacific and Head of its John Muir Center for Environmental Studies.  Together they have done a marvelous job of bringing together firsthand contemporary accounts of government officials, officers, missionaries, and journalists who wrote about the events which led to the treaty of 1863, which replaced the 1855 treaty.  The sources include newspaper accounts, letters, and official reports that are not easily found.  In fact, much of this material had been lost to researchers up to now.  The research and scholarship are impeccable. 

The editors have organized the material in historical order beginning in 1858.  They divided the book into four parts:  Gold Rush into Central Idaho 1858 to 1860; The Gold Rush Expands, 1861; The Nez Perce Become a Minority, 1862; and The Treaty Council Year, 1863.  Although the entire book makes for interesting reading, I found particularly fascinating the full proceedings of the negotiations of the 1863 treaty, including the comments of the Nez Perce leaders.

The biographical sketches of the Nez Perce leaders from 1858 – 1863 are an important section of the book.  These sketches provide explanations by Nez Perce elders about the Nez Perce practices in naming members of their people, including changing names during the course of an individual’s lifetime.  The editors have made every attempt to present accurately the names of the Nez Perce leaders involved in these accounts.  A second biographical section includes the Indian Agency and other government employees who served in the area between 1858 and 1863. 

The texts of both the 1855 and 1863 treaties with the Nez Perce are included in the book.  Ten drawings and photographs depict the Nez Perce leaders of the time.  There are also eight maps which include one of the Nez Perce country showing the land belonging to the Nez Perce in 1855 and another one showing the reduction of the Nez Perce territory by the 1863 treaty.  This treaty ultimately led to the Nez Perce war with the United States in 1877. 

Linnea Marshall, a cataloger at the University of Idaho Library, has created an excellent index.  It is a valuable resource for a book of this nature. The annotated bibliography is “a highly selective guide to further reading” (page 426) for anyone who wishes to pursue the subject. 

I would highly recommend this book to academic and research libraries as well as to public libraries with Native American collections.  The Nez Perce Nation Divided is a valuable addition to the literature about Native Americans and the Nez Perce in particular.  It is an important addition to the literature of the American West.

The Nez Perce Divided  is an excellent beginning to a series of books the editors are planning to produce about the Nez Perce country prior to the 1877 war.  We look forward to other books in this series.