Nez Perce Indians
When Clark and a few men that had moved ahead of the Corps found the Nez Perce tribe in September 1805, he let them know he was not an enemy. The Nez Perce lodges were located in the plains west of the Rocky Mountains. The Nez Perce provided the Corps with food, information about the route ahead, and a place to stay. Communication with the Nez Perce tribe was fairly difficult because the tribe spoke a very different dialect from the tribes in the East. Lewis and Clark told the Nez Perce Indians about the trading posts and intertribal peace they wanted to establish in the region; the tribe agreed to cooperate as long as they were given guns and other weaponry. In exchange for food supply, Clark treated the illnesses and diseases the Indians aquired. Also, the Corps traded their horses for goods; they got their horses back when they stayed with the Nez Perce on their way back home in May 1806.