Gundars Rudzitis, Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843. gundars@uidaho.edu; and
Aimee Shipman, Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843.aimees@uidaho.edu.

The Social Construction of Local Racist Discourses and Resource Conflicts on the Nez Perce Reservation.

We examine how the historical diminishment of Nez Perce tribal lands and their subsequent spatial containment on various reservation lands was accompanied by the social construction of racist discourses by non-Indians on the local and state level. We trace over time the use of racist discourses and their impact on the ability of the Nez Perce tribe to assert control over natural resource and environmental decisions on reservation and ceded lands. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of historical racist discourses emerging in the context of current conflicts between the Nez Perce tribe and non-Indians. These conflicts includes issues of land jurisdiction, as well as the re-introduction and management of wolves in Idaho. Other conflicts considered include resource and environmental conflicts regarding endangered species such as the salmon and controversies surrounding Nez Perce gaming and gambling operations. We take a qualitative approach which includes interviews as well as documentary evidence from newspapers.

Keyword: Indians, racism, conflicts.