Twisted Hair
Twisted Hair was an elderly Nez Perce chief who provided critical assistance to the Lewis and Clark Expedition in September 1805 after the Corps emerged starving and exhausted from their crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains via the Lolo Trail. He helped the expedition build dugout canoes for their descent of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers to the Columbia, drew maps of the route ahead, and agreed to care for the expedition's horses during the winter. His hospitality exemplified the generous reception the Corps received from the Nez Perce people.
Biography
Twisted Hair was a chief of the Nez Perce (Chopunnish) who befriended the Corps of Discovery when they emerged, starving and exhausted, from the Bitterroot Mountains in September 1805.
Twisted Hair provided crucial assistance: he helped the expedition build canoes from ponderosa pine logs for the descent of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, drew maps of the river system ahead, and agreed to care for the expedition’s horse herd during their absence — a commitment of months.
When the expedition returned in May 1806, they found their horses had been well cared for, though some had been dispersed among different Nez Perce bands. Twisted Hair’s reliability in this matter demonstrated the trust that had developed between the expedition and the Nez Perce — a relationship that would have significant consequences in the decades ahead.
The Nez Perce’s generosity to the Lewis and Clark Expedition was remembered by both peoples. When the Nez Perce were forced onto a reservation in 1877, some leaders cited their long friendship with Americans dating back to Lewis and Clark.
